Bihar bridge collapse: Tejashwi Yadav claims deliberate destruction, cites serious faults found

• Image Credit: Google

• Jun 5, 2023 | Dhupali Das

Tejashwi Yadav said that it was a planned demolition as experts had found 'serious faults' in its design...

Digital Desk: After an under-construction bridge over the Ganga river fell in Bihar on Sunday, deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav said that it was a planned demolition as experts had found 'serious faults' in its design. Videos of the Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge crumbling, which was constructed to connect Khagaria district with Bhagalpur, have gone viral on social media, triggering harsh criticism from the opposition BJP.

There were no casualties recorded in the incident. While addressing a press conference, Yadav along with additional chief secretary of the road construction department Pratyay Amrit stated that the decision was made after a portion of the same bridge collapsed during a thunderstorm in 2022. The government then assigned researchers from IIT-Roorkee to evaluate the construction, Yadav said. 

While Amrit stated that the administration did not want to take any chances by waiting for the final study before demolishing parts of the 'flawed' bridge.

"A portion of this bridge collapsed on April 30th of last year. As Leader of the Opposition at the time, I made a compelling argument for it. When we came to power, we ordered an investigation and sought expert advice...we invited IIT-Roorkee, which is renowned for its competence in construction problems, to do a study. It has yet to provide a final assessment, but specialists who evaluated the structure informed us that there were severe flaws," Yadav said at the press conference.

Once the final report is received, which is expected soon, the state government would consider actions such as filing an FIR and blacklisting the company that was awarded the contract, he said.

Several ' ‘vulnerable' segments of the bridge, which was built at a cost of Rs. 1,700 crore, have already been removed due to structural flaws, Yadav revealed.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has requested Amrit to give a full report on the incident and has sought for strict action against those responsible.

Reiterating that the bridge will increase connectivity in north Bihar, Yadav highlighted that the government will complete the project, which was scheduled to begin operation in November 2019, if all construction concerns are fixed.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal responded to the BJP's claims by tweeting that the majority of the construction took place while BJP ministers Mangal Pandey, Nand Kishore Yadav, and Nitin Nabin were in charge.

How the opposition reacted

While state BJP president Samrat Choudhary sought Kumar's resignation, former Bhagalpur MP Syed Shahnawaz Hussain called for an investigation into the alleged "corruption" incident.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonwalla termed it "the bridge of corruption" and attacked the CM. Another BJP spokesperson, Priti Gandhi, said Kumar should focus on his own state "rather than poking his nose into issues that do not concern him."