'Should Have Been Stronger': Nitish After Under-Construction Bridge Collapses In Bihar

An under-construction bridge over the Ganga river collapsed in Bihar on Sunday. A portion of the same bridge had earlier collapsed on April 30 last year.

New Delhi: A day after an under-construction bridge over the Ganga river collapsed in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that 'it should have been stronger'. Speaking to reporters, Nitish said that the bridge is not being 'constructed correctly' which is why it is collapsing over and over again. A portion of the bridge, which was supposed to connect Bihar's Khagaria district with Bhagalpur, earlier collapsed on April 30 last year.

"I have instructed officials to take strict action," Nitish Kumar said.

No casualties or injuries were reported in the incident that took place on Sunday evening and was caught on camera by some bystanders. The bridge was reportedly being constructed at a cost of more than Rs 1,700 crore and was supposed to have been completed by November 2019.

The bridge collapse prompted Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav to hold a hurried press conference.

"It may be recalled that a portion of this bridge had collapsed on April 30 last year. We had, thereafter, approached IIT-Roorkee, which is esteemed for its expertise in construction matters, to conduct a study. It is yet to come up with a final report but experts who had studied the structure had informed us that there were serious defects," Yadav said at the presser.

Last year, a portion of this bridge had given away in a thunderstorm. It was an incident which was widely talked about and I strongly raised it in my capacity as the then Leader of the Opposition, he added.

Yadav said that upon coming to power, his government ordered an inquiry and sought an expert opinion. He disclosed that 'many structural defects' have been pointed out by experts and that they have already pulled down many portions which have been flagged as particularly vulnerable.

Bihar bridge collapse: BJP demands Nitish Kumar's resignation

Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Samrat Choudhary came out with a statement demanding the resignation of Nitish Kumar, who had snapped ties with the saffron party in August last year. 

"Sub-standard materials were used for the construction of the bridge. The CM is least bothered about the development of Bihar... He is busy on his tour. He must resign from his post after this incident," Choudhary said.

Fellow BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, a former Bhagalpur MP, also blamed the mishap on 'corruption' and demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident.

He also alleged that the incident 'has put a question mark on construction works being undertaken across the state, many of which have been awarded to the same contractor'.