Another bridge collapses in Bihar, none hurt

SIWAN: A small bridge collapsed in Siwan district on Saturday in the second incident of its kind in Bihar in less than a week, officials said.

The bridge was erected over a canal, connecting the villages of Daraunda and Maharajganj blocks, and it caved in at around 5 am, said District Magistrate Mukul Kumar Gupta.

"Nobody was injured in the incident. It was a very old structure and apparently, pillars caved in when water was released through the canal. We are trying to ensure that until it is restored, residents of affected villages face as little inconvenience as possible," the DM told PTI.

Daraunda BDO Surya Pratap Singh said, "Locals claim the bridge was built way back in 1991 with contributions from the then Maharajganj MLA Uma Shankar Singh".

Anil Kumar, the Sub Divisional Magistrate of Maharajganj, confirmed that the "the 20 feet long brick structure" had been built through MLA's local area development fund and added, "based on the investigation report further action will be taken".

Earlier, on Tuesday, a newly constructed bridge, about 180 metres long, had collapsed in the Araria district, prompting the Rural Works Department to initiate departmental action against officials concerned.

Notably, Bihar has been witness to several mishaps involving bridges, large and small, constructed over rivers and other water bodies.

Though such incidents have not resulted in casualties, these have led to questions being raised on the quality of public works.