Bridge built in open field at Bihar village, no road on either side; district admin seeks report

The bridge was built at a spot where land had already been acquired, but the road was not yet built as the acquisition of land for that had not yet been completed.

“Rather than acquiring land and starting road construction first, the Rural Works department constructed a 35-foot bridge at piece of acquired land while showing little interest in going ahead with the project in a rational manner,” a Rural Works department official, who did not want to be named, said.

Residents of the village, however, had little idea about the project and were baffled by the construction of a bridge in the middle of a field.

Krityanand Mandal, a resident, said, “This culvert was constructed about six months ago. We thought it could be part of some big project, but when no further work was done and there was no hint of any future planning either, we wanted to bring it to the government’s notice.”

Araria District Magistrate Inayat Khan said, “I have sought a detailed project report from the Rural Works department’s engineers. We want to know if the work was being done as per alignment.”

“Though we are waiting for a detailed report to know the full truth, it looks like work was started from mid-point. In any case, we will get to know the status of the project soon,” the DM said. The exact value of the project is not yet assessed as land acquisition has not been completed.