Bridge collapses in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district

Patna: A bridge in Bihar's Bhagalpur district collapsed due to a strong water flow on Friday, causing disruptions to road traffic for the locals.

The structure, constructed by the Public Works Department (PWD) two years ago, was located in Chaukhandi village in Pirpaiti block.

According to the villagers, the bridge had shown signs of damage on Thursday, with one side appearing bent. By Friday morning, the entire structure fell into the water.

The collapse has severed the connection between the block headquarters and the district, impacting the movement of about 1,00,000 people from six Panchayats. Despite the critical situation, no administrative officials had arrived at the scene, leading to accusations of negligence from the affected villagers.

The collapse of the bridge highlights a growing concern over infrastructure stability amid severe flooding in Bihar. The bridge, which broke from the middle and fell into the water due to the powerful flood currents, raises questions about the quality of its construction and the adequacy of flood-resistant measures. An investigation will likely be conducted to identify the reasons for the collapse, including possible structural flaws or oversight during construction. The situation is dire across Bhagalpur, with floodwaters submerging roads and putting other bridges and infrastructure at risk.

This marks the third such incident in Bihar within a week. Before the Bhagalpur bridge collapse, a bridge in Munger was submerged in floodwaters on September 23, and a portion of an under-construction four-lane bridge between Bakhtiyarpur in Patna and Tajpur in Samastipur also collapsed.

Following the collapse of the Chaukhandi bridge on Friday, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Tejashwi Yadav, criticized the Nitish Kumar-led government, sharing a video of the incident on the social media platform X.

In his post, Yadav accused the government of rampant corruption, stating, “In Nitish Kumar's regime, the roots of corruption are as deep as the pillars of the bridge are shallow. In the last 2-3 months, hundreds of bridges—both completed and under construction—worth thousands of crores of rupees have collapsed across Bihar.”

Tejashwi Yadav also questioned Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s silence on the issue, suggesting that the government has failed to address or take action against the major culprits behind the alleged corruption.

He further said, “Have you ever heard the Chief Minister make any statement on the corruption of these falling bridges or has he ever taken any action against the big whale of corruption? After all, how will he do it? He is the one who has made those small restless fishes into whales by feeding them.”