Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav criticized the Nitish Kumar government on Friday following the collapse of the fifth bridge within nine days in Bihar.
Yadav shared a video on his X (formerly Twitter) account about the collapse of the bridge over the Bhootahi River between Madhubani and Supaul. In his post, he said, “This is the 5th bridge to collapse in Bihar within 9 days. A bridge under construction for years on the Bhootahi River between Madhubani-Supaul collapsed. Did you find out? If not, why? Try to find out? #Bihar #Bridge.” The video has since gone viral on social media.
The latest bridge collapse occurred in the Bheja police station area of Madhubani district, situated in the northernmost part of the state near the Nepal border.
The collapsed bridge had been under construction for over two years. Officials from the Rural Works Department, responsible for the 75-meter-long bridge’s construction, confirmed that one of the pillars had been washed away a few days earlier.
In the past week, several bridge collapses have been reported across Bihar:
Kishanganj (June 26): A portion of a 13-year-old bridge collapsed, isolating 40,000 people in several villages. The 70-meter-long and 12-meter-wide bridge, built under the Mukhyamantri Gram Sadak Yojana in 2011 at a cost of ₹25 lakh, caved in due to floodwaters from heavy rainfall. This was the fourth such incident in Bihar within a week.
West Champaran (June 23): A section of an under-construction bridge, being built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, collapsed just hours after concrete casting.
Siwan (June 22): A small bridge over a rivulet of the Gandak River in Maharaganj block caved in due to a sudden surge of water.
These incidents highlight significant concerns regarding infrastructure quality and maintenance in the state.
