Bihar bridge collapse: Infra firm under scanner, BJP targets Tejashwi; here’s all you need to know

According to PTI, the state government has slapped a show cause notice on the firm behind the construction of the bridge. The executive engineer concerned has been suspended.

SP Singla Constructions Pvt Ltd, the firm which was awarded the contract, is also linked to big ticket projects in Gujarat.

Here are some key points about what we know so far about the incident:

1. 01

   What do we know about the Bridge?

   The 3.1 kilometer-long, Aguwani-Sultanganj Ganga bridge was being built by SP Singla Constructions Private Limited at a cost of Rs 1,710 crore. The bridge will connect Aguani in Khagaria district with Sultanganj in Bhagalpur. Construction for the same began in 2014 and was expected to be completed in 2019. The deadline has since been extended four times.

2. 02

   What do we know about the collapse of the bridge on Sunday?

   On June 4, a 200-meter portion of the under-construction bridge collapsed. The collapse prompter the state government to direct the building construction department to initiate an inquiry.

   No casualties were reported due to the collapse of the bridge, an official said. "The incident occurred when four-five pillars of the Aguwani-Sultanganj under-construction bridge collapsed into the Ganga river," the official said, according to PTI. Approximately 400 meters of segments or final casting of the bridge between pillar numbers 10 and 13 collapsed on Sunday. Which lead to an estimated loss of Rs 150 crore. Watch the video of the collapse here:

   #Bihar a portion of under construction bridge over Ganga river collapsed today. The Aguanhighat Sultanganj bridge will connect Khagaria and Bhagalpur districts. pic.twitter.com/7DLTQszso7

   — All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) June 4, 2023

3. 03

   What have Bihar government officials said?

   The Bihar government said that the part of the bridge that collapsed was deliberately pulled down because of design flaws that have been flagged by experts.

   Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in a press conference said, “It may be recalled that a portion of this bridge had collapsed on April 30 last year. We had, thereafter, approached IIT-Roorkee to conduct a study." Additional Chief Secretary of Road Construction Department, Pratyay Amrit said, “It was decided that we must not take any chance and wait for a final report. So we went ahead with pulling down parts of the bridge. It was a part of such a preventive exercise."

   In response, a senior government official in the Bhagalpur administration said: “In case of a planned pulling down, there has to be prior information given to local administration, including local police. This was not done, nor was the river barricaded. In fact, a boat had passed under the bridge just 10 minutes before the collapse.”

   Officials have also stated that such an official exercise would require the company in charge of the construction to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the authorities of a dolphin sanctuary which is part of the section of the river on which the bridge stands.

4. 04

   What has Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said?

   Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has blamed “poor quality of work” for the collapse of the bridge.

   “I had asked authorities concerned to look into the matter seriously after the fall of the superstructure last year. The work should be completed fast. The bridge is falling because it is not being constructed properly,” he said.

   “The project had to start in 2012, but it was commissioned in 2014. There has been too much delay in the project,” Nitish said. He also added that he has asked officials to take “prompt corrective actions and ensure completion of the project”.

5. 05

   Other projects of the infrastructure firm are now under the scanner

   SP Singla Constructions Pvt Ltd, the firm building the bridge in Bihar over the Ganga river is also the contractor for other major projects like the Rs 962 crore four-lane cable-stayed Signature Bridge project in Dwarka and two other projects in Gujarat.

   The projects of the firm in Gujarat, which are now under the scanner are nearing completion, government officials said Monday.

   SB Vasava, Gujarat Secretary, Roads and Buildings Department (R&B), when asked if the bridges constructed by the company in Gujarat will go under review after the incident in Bihar, said, “The Bet Dwarka bridge is on the verge of completion. We do not have a clear idea about the incident that happened (in Bihar). If something adverse comes up then we can think about it.”

6. 06

   BJP hits out state government

   Bihar BJP Monday hit out at the state government over the incident, asking why the construction wasn't stopped earlier if structural defects were already pointed out.

   Senior BJP leader and former state road construction department minister Nitin Nabin told news agency PTI, “I must say that the deputy chief minister is hiding the truth…he is not revealing the facts. When experts who inspected the bridge had already informed the government that there were serious structural defects, then why did the government allow the continuation of the construction work? The department should have immediately stopped that.”