Union Minister Nitin Gadkari clarified on Tuesday that the bridge which collapsed in Bihar’s Araria district was not constructed by the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry. Instead, it was managed by the Rural Development Ministry of the Bihar government.
“The bridge that collapsed in Araria, Bihar was not constructed under the Union Road Transport Ministry. Its work was overseen by the Rural Development Ministry of the Bihar Government,” stated a post from Nitin Gadkari’s office on X.
बिहार के अररिया में दुर्घटनाग्रस्त पुलिया का निर्माण केंद्रीय सड़क परिवहन मंत्रालय के अंतर्गत नहीं हुआ है। बिहार सरकार के ग्रामीण विकास मंत्रालय के अंतर्गत इसका काम चल रहा था।
— Office Of Nitin Gadkari (@OfficeOfNG) June 18, 2024
The 183-meter-long bridge, which was nearing completion and expected to open to traffic soon, collapsed on Tuesday. This incident marks the seventh bridge collapse in Bihar since 2023 and the second one this year.
Araria District Magistrate Inayat Khan confirmed that there were no casualties in the collapse.
In a bizarre incident, an under-construction bridge collapsed in Bihar’s Araria. The bridge was constructed over the Bakra River spending crores. The visuals of the bridge diminishing into pieces go viral. However, there are no reports of human injuries in the collapse.
#WATCH | Bihar | A portion of a bridge over the Bakra River has collapsed in Araria pic.twitter.com/stjDO2Xkq3
— ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2024
The Bridge:
The bridge was constructed to ease the travel between Kursakanta and Sikti in the Araria district of Bihar. The bridge that was built at a cost of 12 crore, the bridge collapsed ahead of its inauguration. MLA of Sikti – Vijay Kumar said, “The bridge has collapsed due to negligence by the construction company’s owner. We demand that the administration should conduct an investigation.”
The collapsed piece washed away in seconds, and people began running for safety. Another video shows a few people standing perilously close to the edge of the remaining section of the bride. While many individuals stand underneath it.
A large amount of the collapsed area was built over the river. The part erected along the banks of the Bakra River has remained intact.
In March of this year, an under-construction bridge collapsed in Bihar’s Supaul, killing one person and trapping numerous others. Following the morning collapse, the bustling construction site outside Maricha became a picture of chaos and devastation, necessitating immediate rescue operations by local authorities and volunteers.
The bridge being built over the river Kosi is estimated to cost ₹ 984 million. The catastrophe is strikingly similar to the collapse of an under-construction bridge in Bihar’s Bhagalpur, which provoked a war of words between the state government and the opposition BJP.
