Bridge collapses, gets washed away ahead of its inauguration in Bihar

Kishanganj: Ahead of its inauguration, a bridge collapsed and was washed away in Goabari village of Bihar's Kishanganj district on Thursday, following a rise in the water levels of Kankai river.

The bridge was built by the Rural Works Department in the Patharghatti panchayat of Dighalbank block at a cost of Rs 1,42,18,021. It was set to be completed on June 24 this year, but had been completed before time and was reportedly being used by the locals of the area for over a month.

After the bridge was washed away, locals complained of facing problems to connect to their destinations and alleged that there were several irregularities in the construction of the bridge, due to which the bridge failed to withstand the slightest of pressure.

The villagers have also demanded an unbiased inquiry into the conduct of the respective officials who were in charge of the construction of the bridge, from the district magistrate.

While speaking to ANI, Muhammad Murtaza, a local resident, said, "Around five such bridges have been constructed here. We request the Zilla Panchayat to review the matter and launch an investigation into it. This bridge was constructed at a cost of over one crore and it has collapsed even before its inauguration."

"There is a road at a certain distance which remains broken and we kept requesting the District Magistrate and Sub-Divisional Magistrate to built it to stop the river connection from here but it wasn't built due to which the river flowed and the pull washed away. All the bridges should be inspected. The authorities are not listening and this is a complete case of corruption," said Hasan Javed, another local.

"After so many requests, this bridge was constructed and now it has washed away. We appeal to the administration to look into the matter. What kind of material was used in it? We are facing so many problems here. They should also close the river connection to this place," said Naved Alam, local.

After the bridge was damaged, Nirmal Kumar, the Superintendent Engineer of the Rural Works Department, visited the spot and took stock of the matter. He said that action will be taken against the culprits and an investigation will be held into the case.