Lagatar24 Desk
Patna: With bridge collapses in Bihar making national headlines, senior BJP leader Dr. Nikhil Anand expressed his fear of crossing any flyover or bridge in the state, calling for a “serious probe.” His remarks come as the Nitish Kumar-led BJP-JDU government faces mounting criticism from the Opposition over the frequent incidents.
“I am afraid of crossing through any flyover or bridge in Bihar. Surprised that in the last 10 days, half a dozen bridges have collapsed,” Dr. Anand posted on X. A former journalist who joined the BJP in 2015, Dr. Anand has served as the party’s spokesperson in Bihar and is now a national general secretary in BJP’s OBC Morcha.
“A serious probe and auditing are needed. The responsibility should be fixed on the construction company; blacklist them. The engineers must be booked,” Dr. Anand added in his post.
In the past 15 days, Bihar has seen the collapse of 10 bridges, raising serious concerns about the quality of public infrastructure in the state. The most recent collapse was reported from Saran district, which experienced two such incidents in the past 24 hours. District authorities reported no casualties and noted that the collapsed bridge over the Gandaki River was built 15 years ago. This bridge connected several villages in Saran with Siwan district.
The ten collapsed bridges were located in Siwan, Saran, Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran, and Kishanganj districts. These incidents have triggered a sharp attack from the Opposition on the Nitish Kumar government. Tejaswi Yadav, Leader of the Opposition and former deputy to Kumar, questioned the silence of both the Chief Minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on these incidents. “Apparently, since BJP is in the government, corruption and crime are no longer issues,” Yadav remarked.
In response to the criticism, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has directed the road construction and rural works departments to inspect all old bridges in the state and identify those that require urgent repair.
The Opposition RJD also shared a photograph of a meeting and criticized the absence of ministers, claiming that the “arrogant” Chief Minister did not want them to attend this important meeting. “And officers don’t want ministers to attend because they might be exposed,” the RJD said in a post on X.
The bridge collapses have not only raised safety concerns but also ignited a political firestorm, highlighting the pressing need for infrastructure audits and accountability in Bihar.
