“5th Bridge to Collapse in Last 9 Days”: Another Under-Construction Bridge Faces Downfall in Bihar

An under-construction bridge collapsed in Bihar’s Madhubani region on Friday, marking the fifth such incident in the state over the last nine days. The collapse occurred at Madhepur Block of Bheja police station in Madhubani district, where a 75-meter-long bridge was being built.

The bridge, which was being constructed at a cost of Rs 3 crore, had been under development since 2021 by the Rural Works Department of the Bihar government. The incident happened as water levels rose, causing a 25-meter-long supporting pillar to crash into the river below. Pictures from the site depicted the fallen pillars covered with huge tarpaulin sheets.

This latest collapse drew swift criticism from Tejashwi Yadav, the Opposition leader in the Bihar assembly, who highlighted the incident and took a swipe at the government. The Madhubani bridge collapse follows a series of similar incidents:

1. June 28: A bridge caved in at Kishanganj district.
2. June 23: An under-construction small bridge collapsed in East Champaran district.
3. June 22: A bridge built over the Gandak canal collapsed in Siwan.
4. June 19: A portion of an under-construction bridge collapsed in Araria, where the concrete bridge over the Bakra River, built after spending crores, came apart in seconds.

These repeated incidents have raised serious concerns about the quality and safety of infrastructure projects in Bihar.