Kishanganj: The collapse of an under-construction bridge on Mechi River of NH-327 E, between Galgaliya in Kishanganj and Araria, at Gorichak in Bihar’s Kishanganj on Friday has raised a big question mark on the quality of infrastructure projects going on in the state.
This is the second bridge in the state to have suffered serious damages within a month. Last month, Aguanighat-Sultanganj bridge on the river Ganga collapsed like pack of cards due to design and structural flows. This bridge on river Ganga was being built by M/s SP Singla Construction Ltd for Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited. However, the Kishanganj bridge was being constructed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
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A senior officer of the NHAI said that a team of experts have been sent on the site to probe the collapse. This is the 11th bridge collapse over the past three years with six (including this one) in past five-six years. On June 4, the 3.16 km-long , four-lane bridge over the river Ganga connecting north and south Bihar, built between Sultanganj in Bhagalpur and Aguwani in Khagaria district collapsed.
Abdhesh Kumar, project director NHAI, Bihar said that stringent action will be taken against the construction company if any irregularity is found in the construction. He said it is an under-construction bridge over the Mechi river and there is no traffic on it.
The bridge is being constructed under the widening project of the NH-327E road between Galgaliya-Araria at the cost of 1500 crores by G R Infra projects linking Araria in Bihar with Siliguri in West Bengal. The road is an alternative to NH-57 reducing the distance to reach Siliguri by about 80 kms. The road will facilitate the travelling of thousands of people of Supaul, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur besides Kishanganj and Araria.
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Of the six-span bridge near Gorichak, the third span has sunk in even when the river had no gushing currents. “It would have been a serious accident, if there had been traffic on it,” locals said, expressing serious doubt over the ongoing projects. “We demand to probe all the bridges being built on the 94-km-long stretch where the road is being widened,” they said.
On May 16, an under-construction bridge (20.10-metre-long) over Dumuhni river under Baisi block of Bihar’s Purnia district collapsed hours after concretisation work on it.
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Similarly, on March 19, 2923, two people were injured after a bridge on the Mahanadi river collapsed in Saran district.The stone-laden chip truck was passing over the bridge when it collapsed injuring the driver and cleaner of the truck.
