UPDATE: Bihar Road Construction Minister Nand Kishore Yadav has claimed that the approach slab that has collapsed is two kilometres away from the main Sattarghat Bridge and no damage has been caused to any bridge.
"The approach slab that has collapsed is two kilometres away from the main Sattarghat Bridge, no damages have been caused to any bridge. Just the approach slab of a minor bridge has collapsed," he said.
A portion of Sattarghat Bridge on Gandak River that was inaugurated by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar last month in Gopalganj collapsed on Wednesday after water flow increased in the river due to heavy rainfall.
The bridge was inaugurated by the Chief Minister on June 16.
Many districts in north Bihar have lost connectivity as the bridge has been washed away. At the same time, the pressure of water has also increased at the Saran embankment and if the situation remains the same then Saran district will also be affected by floods.
Administration officials took stock of the situation on Wednesday evening. The team of engineer Abhay Kumar Prabhat, team leader of the bridge corporation, reached and assessed the damage.
The bridge, constructed at a cost of Rs 263.48 crore, aimed to reduce road distance between different towns of East Champaran to Gopalganj, Siwan and Saran districts.
In 2017, a minister in Nitish Kumar's cabinet had blamed rats for making holes in the embankments for weakening the structures and allowing river water breach through them, thus resulting in floods in Bihar.
Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav slammed Nitish Kumar for collapsing of the bridge.
"The bridge washed away after around 29 days of inauguration. The bridge was being constructed for eight years. Washing away of bridges has become a common thing in Nitish Kumar's rule. Did he inaugurate the bridge before time just to gain some appreciation? We demand that the Bihar government should immediately blacklist the company that has constructed the bridge," said Yadav.
"A dam collapsed in Kahalgaon on the day of the inauguration...even rats damage the bridges in Bihar. How will the money be recovered if the bridges keep on collapsing? The Chief Minister committed 55 scams in 15 years. By paying money in RCP tax, as long as transfer posting takes place, the bridge will keep collapsing," he alleged.
Yadav added that that the Chief Minister should give an answer to the public and media.
