A structural failure occurred on Sunday when a span between two pillars of the under-construction Bakhtiyarpur–Tajpur Bridge collapsed near Nandani Lagunia Railway Station in Bihar’s Samastipur on Sunday, September 22.
The collapse took place in the afternoon, disrupting ongoing work and raising alarm among locals and workers at the site. Fortunately, there were no immediate reports of injuries.
Manager Mohan Singh said that the span didn’t collapse but a girder was dismantled during a process of replacement.
The incident comes in the backdrop of more than a dozen bridges and causeways collapsing in several Bihar districts in the recent past, including in Siwan, Saran, Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran and Kishanganj districts.
Earlier this month, a portion of a bailey bridge over the Barnar river tilted to one side in Bihar’s Jamui district. “A portion of the bailey bridge suddenly tilted six inches to one side. Movement of traffic has been completely stopped on the bridge, and technical experts have been engaged in repairing the damage,” District Magistrate Abhilasha Sharma told PTI.
The bridge, which was built by the Road Construction Department last year, will become fully operational again in five days, she said.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had earlier instructed officials concerned to conduct a survey of all old bridges in the state, and identify those that require immediate repair.
