6th incident of bridge collapse in 13 days in Bihar

Kishanganj: In the 6th incident of a bridge collapse in the last 13 days in Bihar, a small bridge over the Bund River got sunk after heavy rains in the Thakurganj block of Kishanganj district of the state.

According to reports, the bridge constructed over the Bund River in Khoshi Dangi village could not withstand the heavy flow of water after torrential rains in the region during the last few days. One of the pillars of the bridge got sunk by one and a half feet deep in the river bed on Friday late at night, making it highly risky for traffic flow on the route, which connects Bihar with West Bengal.

The thirty-meter bridge over the Bund River was constructed in 2007–08 with an investment of Rs 50 lakhs from the local area development fund provided by then MP Kishanganj Mohammad Taslimuddin. When damage caused by a rise in water level was brought to the attention of officials by locals, a barricade was raised to stop the flow of traffic on the bridge.

As it is, a bridge had also collapsed in Bansbari village of Kishanganj district on June 26, while a similar incident took place in Araria district on June 18, where an 183-meter-long bridge built at a cost of Rs 12 crore collapsed. A small bridge on the canal of the Gandak River collapsed in Siwan district on June 22, while another under-construction bridge collapsed in East Champaran district on June 23.

The collapse of six bridges in the last 13 days in Bihar has become a big issue for the opposition to target the Nitish Kumar government with allegations of rampant corruption. The leader of the opposition in the Bihar assembly, Tejaswi Prasad Yadav, has ridiculed the Nitish Kumar government and the NDA government at the center, saying it was for the people of Bihar to see, "What is the performance of the double engine government?".