Lagatar24 Desk
Patna: In response to a series of recent bridge collapses in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a review meeting on Wednesday and directed officials to immediately conduct a comprehensive survey of all old bridges in the state. The goal is to identify structures that require urgent repair.
According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, Nitish Kumar also instructed department heads to take strict action against those found responsible for the poor conditions. The meeting included the presence of Bihar’s Chief Secretary Brijesh Mehrotra, along with the Principal Secretaries of the Road Construction Department (RCD) and Rural Works Department (RWD) and other senior officials.
The directive comes after the collapse of at least nine bridges in the past 15 days, with the most recent incidents occurring in the Saran and Siwan districts where three bridges collapsed on Wednesday alone. Chaitanya Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary of the RWD, noted that some of these structures are very old and may not have been constructed following the required parameters. He also mentioned that inadequate foundation depth could have contributed to the damage, especially during floods.
Among the affected areas, districts like Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran, and Kishanganj have also witnessed bridge collapses.
In response to the incidents, senior RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged that the collapses are a result of widespread corruption. In a lengthy post, Yadav pointed out that five bridges collapsed on July 4 alone, and twelve bridges have collapsed since June 18. He criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for their silence on the issue, accusing them of failing to address the corruption that he believes is responsible.
“Another bridge collapsed in Bihar this morning on July 4. Five bridges alone collapsed on July 4. Since June 18, twelve bridges have collapsed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are completely silent and speechless about these achievements,” Yadav wrote. He further added that the government continues to boast about good governance while ignoring these failures.
In another tweet, Yadav highlighted the collapse of four bridges in a single day and questioned the accountability of the NDA government, which has been in power for a long time. He pointed out the irony of the government’s inability to find excuses to blame the opposition for these failures.
The recent incidents have raised serious concerns about the state’s infrastructure and the need for immediate action to ensure the safety and reliability of its bridges.
