The first spell of rains has exposed the quality of construction work in Chitrakoot district, with four new bridges built at a cost of Rs 51 crore being damaged even before their official inauguration.
According to reports, the approach road of the Rs 10 crore Baghwara bridge over the Valmiki river has collapsed. The bridge built at a cost of Rs 18 crore on the Dharakundi Ashram route in the Manikpur area has also been damaged. The approach road of this bridge has been washed away for about five metres. This route connects the borders of UP and MP states. Due to this, transportation for more than ten villages from both states has been affected.
The bridge built at a cost of Rs 10 crore over the Mandakini river in Taronha has also been damaged, according to Dainik Bhaskar's report. Its approach road has been washed away for up to five metres. Cracks have also appeared in the railings. This bridge is the main route to the holy city of Chitrakoot and is important for the transportation of people from more than five villages.
The condition of bridges built in Kalyanpur and Makri Pahra is also poor. The approach roads of these bridges have collapsed, roads have cracked, and construction materials have been washed away in the rain.
Meanwhile, near Makri Pahra village in the hilly area, the entire road of the approach route connected to a bridge built at a cost of approximately Rs 13 crore has developed cracks. The entire road has broken up.
The incident has attracted political criticism, with former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav attacking the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government, alleging corruption in construction work.
Taking to X on Tuesday, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav shared a visual of one of the collapsed bridge structures and wrote, "BJP Collapse News: A bridge in Chitrakoot, built at a cost of 10 crore under BJP rule, collapsed before its inauguration."
"BJP's corruption is crumbling down… sometimes a water tank, sometimes a bridge…" he wrote.
In an X post, the Samajwadi Party hit out at UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, alleging that he was filling the pockets of his people with public money. "Sinking roads, exposing layers of BJP's corruption! In Chitrakoot, the approach road to bridges built at a cost of crores of rupees has sunk. Shameful. All limits of corruption have been crossed in the BJP government. The Chief Minister is filling the pockets of his people with the public's money," the post read.
