Bihar: Newly constructed bridge in Araria collapses ahead of inauguration

Bihar: A significant section of an 182-meter bridge at Sikti in Bihar’s Araria district collapsed on Tuesday afternoon. The bridge over the Bakra River, constructed by private contractors for Rs 12 crore under the PM Gramin Sadak scheme, was initially estimated at Rs 7.79 crore. Construction began in April 2021 and was completed in June 2023. The bridge was set to be inaugurated soon after the completion of approach roads on both sides.

Suspected Cause of Bridge Collapse

Local authorities suspected that recent digging near two pillars of the bridge to allow smooth flow of water might have weakened the pillars, causing the collapse. The bridge had a total of 16 pillars.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sought a report on the incident.

Bihar has also seen other bridge collapses in recent years.

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Frequent Collapses of Under-Construction Bridges Raise Concerns in Bihar

On March 22, an under-construction bridge over the Kosi river in Supaul collapsed, killing one laborer and injuring eight others. The 10.5-km bridge, initially inaugurated in 2014, suffered the collapse of three slabs.

In June, 2023, a 200-metre stretch of the Aguani-Sultanganj bridge over the river Ganga caved in after three pillars supporting it collapsed. Passengers crossing through the under-construction structure had a narrow escape. No casualty was reported.

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