The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar has accused Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav of hiding the truth regarding the collapse of an under-construction bridge in the state. The party criticized Yadav’s statement that experts had identified “many structural defects” in the bridge. The bridge was intended to connect Khagaria district with Bhagalpur over the Ganga River.
Nitin Nabin, a senior BJP leader and former state road construction department minister, expressed his dismay, stating, “I must say that the deputy chief minister is hiding the truth… he is not revealing the facts.” Nabin questioned why the construction work was allowed to continue despite experts having informed the government about serious structural defects. He further claimed that Yadav did not inform the state assembly about the status of the construction work, even after it was raised during the budget session.
Nabin accused the state government of protecting the accused and alleged that the grand alliance government showed little concern for the development of Bihar. He criticized both the chief minister and the deputy chief minister for their lack of attention towards the state’s affairs.
The bridge, which has been under construction since 2014, collapsed twice within a span of 14 months. The first collapse occurred on the Bhagalpur side in April 2022, and the second collapse happened on the Khagaria side on Sunday evening. Images of the bridge collapse prompted Yadav to hold a press conference, where he mentioned that experts had already identified several structural defects in the bridge.
The incident caused public outrage, leading Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to order an investigation and instructions to hold those responsible for the bridge collapse accountable. Last year, a portion of the bridge collapsed during a thunderstorm while the BJP was in power.
The collapse involved at least 30 slabs on three pillars of the four-lane Sultanganj-Aguani Ghat bridge, falling into the river. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. The construction of the bridge was estimated to cost ?1,700 crore, and a Haryana-based company was contracted for the project. The BJP is now demanding action against the company. Once completed, the bridge would have been the sixth to connect northern Bihar with the south, reducing travel time to Sultanagnj, Khagaria, Saharsa, Madhepura, and Supaul.
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