Bridge built at Rs 13 crore collapses before 'opening' in Bihar's Begusarai district; No casualties

Patna, Dec 19: A five-year-old bridge in Bihar snapped into two and fell into a river in Bihar's Begusarai district. However, there were no casualties, ANI reported as the bridge was yet to be formally opened to the public due to the lack of an access road.

The bridge was built between Aakriti Tola Chowki and Bishanpur from the Ahok Gandak Ghat side of the Sahebpur Kamal police station area. One Maa Bhagwati Constructions was the firm that executed the project.

As per the information, the 206-metre-long bridge was built at a cost of over Rs 13 crore. "It was to be inaugurated soon but it collapsed before that," an official said.

Begusarai district magistrate said the bridge was temporarily shut for use. The front part of the bridge between pillars no 2 and 3 collapsed on Sunday.

"A portion of a bridge built across Burhi Gandak river in Sahebpur Kamal, Begusarai, collapsed and fell into the river after it had developed cracks a few days ago. The bridge was temporarily shut for use. We are assessing the reason behind bridge collapse," ANI quoted DM Begusarai as saying.

The bridge was constructed in 2022 but was never inaugurated due to the lack of an access road. The bridge was constructed under the Chief Minister National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) scheme.

In October, a total of 134 persons lost their lives after a century-old suspension bridge fell into the Machchhu River of Morbi, Gujarat. The 19th-century bridge had reopened five days earlier, in time for Diwali and the Gujarati New Year, following a lengthy closure for repairs.

The chief officer of the municipality, who had agreed on the contract for repairs after the 2001 earthquake, said the private firm responsible for the renovations "threw the bridge open to visitors without notifying us, and therefore, we couldn't get a safety audit of the bridge conducted".