The state government slammed the company concerned, with a show cause notice amid the Bihar bridge collapse.
The bridge under construction, which connects Sultanganj in Bhagalpur with Khagaria, collapsed on Sunday evening. Engineer incharge has been suspended.
A top official claimed that the State government has issued a show cause notice, on June 6, to the construction company in question after taking a sombre perspective of the bridge collapse in Bhagalpur, Bihar, two days ago. Additionally, the executive engineer in question has been suspended, according to Pratyay Amrit, the Additional Chief Secretary for the department responsible for road development.
Mr. Amrit informed, “The Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam has served a show cause notice on the Haryana-based company that was granted the contract and requested a response within 15 days,” to PTI. According to him, the company has been requested to justify why it shouldn’t be placed on the government’s blacklist and subject to further punishment.
The executive engineer who raised concerns has also been suspended by the department for failing to monitor the calibre of the job, the Additional Chief Secretary continued.
Image courtesy: The Print
The bridge spanning the Ganges was built with the intention of connecting the districts of Bhagalpur and Khagaria. The bridge was still being built and was expected to be finished in 2019. On June 4, however, a part of the bridge slipped in. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar placed the building’s first brick in February 2014.
Tejashwi Yadav, the deputy chief minister, had already claimed that parts of the bridge had been deliberately destroyed. The final collapse proved that his claims concerning the bridge’s structural stability were accurate. A year before, during a conversation thunderstorm, a different segment had collapsed.
On June 5, the chief minister publicly expressed his great disappointment with the work’s inadequate quality and excessive delay in completion. The BJP, which held control in the State till approximately a year ago, has been attributing the situation to “corruption” and calling for the resignation of the chief minister.
Image courtesy: CNN
The 3.16-km bridge, which has been under construction since 2014, collapsed twice in a period of 14 months, the first time on the Sultanganj side of Bhagalpur in April 2022 and the second time on the Khagaria side on Sunday night.
Chief minister’s take on bridge collapse:
On June 5, a day after a bridge in Bihar that was being built over the Ganga river collapsed, the chief minister announced that anybody found responsible would face heavy punishment. He added that the bridge that caved down on June 4 did it last year as well.
“The bridge has fallen apart twice since April 2022 because it was not built properly. It’s a serious situation…The relevant department has already started an extensive investigation into it.” When speaking to reporters in this area, Mr. Kumar added, “Those found liable would face strict action.”
He also questioned why the 2014-started building of the bridge has not yet been finished. He asserted, “Why is it taking longer than expected? I’ve asked the relevant department to look into this further. The Deputy CM is also keeping an eye on the situation.”
Image courtesy: Deccan Herald
Tejashwi Yadav announced on Sunday that the under-construction bridge would be demolished due to structural problems shortly after the tragedy. He said “Perhaps everyone remembers that on April 30 of last year, a section of this bridge had collapsed. In order to undertake a study, we then approached IIT-Roorkee, which is renowned for its knowledge in construction-related issues.”
Mr Yadav added, “Although a definitive assessment has not yet been produced, specialists who have analysed the construction have told us that it contains major flaws”
Claims on last years incident:
Accident last year was attributed to a loose cable, and structural flaws and inferior materials were also alleged to have been employed. According to sources, the most recent disaster may delay the bridge’s completion by at least a few years.
“When the BJP was in control of the state last year, a section of this bridge had been destroyed by a thunderstorm. It was an incident that received a lot of attention, and as the opposition leader at the time, I aggressively brought it up. We ordered an inquiry and sought professional advice as soon as we came into power,” Yadav claimed, seemingly in retaliation to the BJP, now in opposition, which had called for the CM’s resignation over the matter.
