Bridges are built for at least a century, if not more. In Bihar, they fall before they are even completed. It is the second time that a bridge under construction across the Ganga linking Bhagalpur and Khagaria districts have fallen. Enquiries have been ordered to fix the responsibility and punish the guilty. The first time some pillars of the bridge fell, it was attributed to the lashing of strong winds. Of course, no one understood how the pillars of a bridge can be blown away by wind. This time, fortunately, no attribution has been made for the mishap. Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav was frank enough to admit that the bridge project would be abandoned as the structure suffers from many defects which are beyond repair. The state has spent over Rs 1700 crore on the project, which has gone down the river.
It is not that the Ganga is not amenable to bridges. The British had built the Howrah bridge which has withstood rain and shine for more than a century. There is no plan to decommission the bridge which attracts tourists visiting West Bengal, not to mention rail bridge enthusiasts. It is now nearly half a century since a bridge was constructed across the Ganga near Patna. At over five kilometres, it was at that time the longest river bridge in the country. There are a few other bridges across the same river at other places in the country. Why the bridge fell this time is because cost-cutting measures were adopted by the contractor to line the pockets of politicians, officials and to maximise his own profit. Goodness needs to be thanked that it fell now and not after traffic was allowed on the bridge. All those responsible should be forced to compensate the state for what it lost.
