Under-construction bridge's pillars wash away in Bihar's Katihar

The series of bridges breaking and getting destroyed in Bihar is not stopping. One after the other, bridges are breaking, scattering, or getting destroyed by being washed away in water. The latest case is from Katihar, where a part of an under-construction bridge got washed away in water just ten days after casting.

This incident occurred in Bakia village under ward numbers 12/13/14 of Bakia Sukhay Panchayat in the Barari block. Two pillars of the bridge, being constructed under the Chief Minister's scheme in the stream of Ganga at Sukhay Ghat, got washed away by erosion on Wednesday. Both pillars have been submerged in the river Ganga.

The breaking and washing away of bridges in Bihar has become a significant political issue. Opposition leaders, including Lalu and Tejashwi Yadav, keep cornering the Nitish government on this matter. In this case, former Mukhiya Pati Subodh Mandal of Bakia Sukhay Panchayat said that due to an increase in the water level of river Ganga and erosion, two pillars of the under-construction bridge have broken and submerged in the river. He stated that poor-quality material was used in the construction of the foundation, leading to the pillars being submerged in the river Ganga.

Anwar Jamal, Chief Engineer of Katihar Zone of the Flood Control Department, mentioned that the flow of the river came near the bridge due to erosion near Bakia Sukhay village. The casting was done only ten days ago, and the foundation of the bridge getting washed away in such a short time has raised many discussions. People are accusing the engineers of corruption.

Officials confirmed that due to erosion, two pillars of the bridge got washed away. This information has been communicated to the Executive Engineer of the Rural Works Department. Anti-erosion work will be undertaken by the Rural Works Department. Earlier inspections of the site by the team revealed that the flow of Ganga has shifted towards the bridge.

In the last 40-45 days in Bihar, more than twenty incidents of bridges falling, breaking, and getting washed away have occurred. Over 20 bridges, culverts, or approach roads, including small and big ones, have broken or been washed away by water currents. This has led to significant political debates in the state.

Leader of Opposition Tejaswi Yadav has repeatedly attacked Nitish Kumar's government on social media. Meanwhile, NDA leaders accuse the bridges built during Tejaswi Yadav's tenure as minister were of poor quality, leading to their collapse and washout.