Amid reports of bridge collapse in Bihar, the ruling party MLA from Gopalganj Mithilesh Kumar Tiwari on Thursday demanded the blacklist of the Bihar State Bridge Construction Corporation.
LJP president Chirag Paswan demanded a probe into bridge construction but the government has put the blame on Gandak river for the collapse of part of a bridge inaugurated by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on June 16.
Leader of opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav demanded a CBI probe into the collapse of a part of the Rs 264 crores bridge within a month. There is no good governance, he alleged.
The additional chief secretary of Road construction department Amrit Lal Meena, however, said heavy rains in the catchment area of Gandak and its gushing waters uprooted the link to the main 1.44 km long bridge. The link between different districts to Bihar and neighboring Uttar Pradesh has been disconnected, he said and hoped the engineers would prepare an alternative diversion for traffic.
Mithilesh Tiwari, the local BJP MLA claimed he had visited the bridge two days before it succumbed to the pressure of swollen Gandak river and had found the structure too weak as only earthen support was found, no cement structure on the basement was visible. "I immediately informed the road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav and managing director of the Road construction corporation seeking immediate repair work on the bridge which was opened for traffic last month. It appears no action was taken and no boulder pitching was done.
ANI
Local village head (Mukhiya) Enamul Haq Raju alleged that when he visited the bridge on July 12, he too found the structure too weak as instead of boulders support, only earthen material was put. "There was no anti-erosion work done," Raju regretted and demanded action against the engineers.
Refuting the charges of elected representatives, Meena said 3.39 lakh cusecs of water were discharged from Gandak river barrage, and due to its pressure the approach road was washed away. It was completely a natural calamity, he claimed.
Mithilesh said the bridge collapse has created a dent on the image of the NDA government which is otherwise recognised for its good governance. "Government should blacklist the Bridge Construction Corporation itself," he said.
Nitish Kumar had laid the foundation of the Mahasetu on Gandak on April 5, 2012, and inaugurated it on June 16, 2020.
It reduced the road distance between Gopalganj and other parts in North Bihar by 45 km.
Nand Kishore Yadav said that a team of engineers has been sent to get the approach road restored in the next couple of days.
