Over a dozen engineers suspended over multiple bridge collapses in Bihar

The Bihar government on July 5 suspended over a dozen engineers of the Water Resources Department and the Rural Works Department after 10 bridges collapsed across the state in the last two weeks. Bihar has seen several bridge collapses in different parts of the country in the recent past, prompting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to ask the authorities to “conduct random checks of old bridges and initiate measures for proper maintenance of the bridges”.

The state government had also set up a high-level committee to investigate the bridge collapses of the last 15 days.

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Eleven engineers from the State Water Resources Authority and four engineers from the Rural Works Authority were suspended after reports from the commission investigating the bridge collapses arrived, a government statement said.

“The state government has taken the bridge collapses in the state very seriously. The contractors responsible for building the bridges will also be tracked down and brought to justice,” Bihar Development Minister Chaitanya Prasad told media representatives on Friday.

In the last two weeks, as many as ten bridges have collapsed in districts such as Siwan, Saran, Araria, East Champaran, Kishanganj and Madhubani. The latest bridge collapse occurred on July 4 in Saran district.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had held a review meeting with senior officials on July 3 and directed them to “randomly check old bridges and initiate proper maintenance” of the bridges. He had also stressed that “the quality of under-construction bridges in the state should be maintained and they should be completed on time”.

“Our aim is not only to build roads and bridges but also to maintain them properly,” Kumar said while addressing officials, including representatives of the Road Construction and Water Resources Department. “Ensure regular bridge inspections after preparing standard operating procedures,” Kumar said at the meeting.

Earlier, Rural Works Minister Ashok Choudhary said a high-level committee had been set up to “thoroughly investigate the cause of the recent bridge collapse in the state”.

“Once the committee submits its report, action will be taken against those responsible for the bridge collapses,” Mr Choudhary said.

However, Tejashwi Yadav, leader of the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has attacked the government for the frequent bridge collapses in the state. “Since the day Nitish Kumar became chief minister, if we take just 18 months, that is the entire time that the rural works ministry was under the JD(U),” Yadav ranted on Friday against the numerous bridge collapses in the state.

He had earlier lashed out at both Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the bridge collapses in the state. “Both Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are silent on these incidents. What happened to the claims of good governance and a corruption-free government?” Mr Yadav asked in a post on social networking site X (formerly Twitter).

However, Rural Works Minister Mr Choudhary reacted to Tejashwi Yadav’s attack on the government over bridge collapses in the state. “He (Tejashwi Yadav) must remember that he has been holding this portfolio for the last 15 months. mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) government. What did he do then? The previous RJD-led mahagathbandhan “The government and he (Tejashwi Yadav) should be held accountable for this whole mess,” Mr Choudhary accused.