Stating that Bihar government has issued a showcause notice to the company constructing Aguani-Sultanganj bridge over the Ganga, a portion of which collapsed on Sunday, and asked the firm to explain why it should not be blacklisted, Deputy chief Minister and state Road Construction Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Tuesday said the bridge would be built “afresh, at the cost of the contractor”. Additional chief secretary, Road Construction Department, Prataya Amrit said the executive engineer concerned has been suspended, and that the showcause notice issued by Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited has sought a reply from the firm — Haryana-based SP Singla Constructions Private Limited — within 15 days. The suspended executive engineer was in charge of monitoring the 3.1-km bridge. The Rs 1,710-crore project was begun in 2015, and has already missed its original deadline of 2019. Tejashwi on Tuesday told the media in the state capital that “every action required”. He said, “The bridge will be built afresh at the cost of the contractor. Ever since superstructure on pillar number 5 fell last year, we had serious doubts on the design of other pillars and sensed that there could be problems with other pillars and segments.” He also said a team from IIT-Roorkie had “clearly suggested design fault” after last year's incident. “Then BJP minister Nitin Nabin had looked into the matter. We had reviewed it last November (2022) and had been waiting for more reports,” he said. Asked whether responsibility for the back-to-back major collapses of portions of the bridge would be fixed, Tejashwi said, "There are no two ways about it. Let the company explain (what went wrong).” He, however, clarified that the state government will “not change the contractor since agreement clauses are involved.” But the company will have to build the bridge afresh after revisiting all technical issues, including design fault,” Tejashwi reiterated. Once ready, the bridge will connect Khagaria, Saharsa and Madhepura in Kosi region with South Bihar districts of Bhagalpur, Munger and Jamui, as well as adjoining Deoghar and Godda districts of Jharkhand. Commissioned in 2014, when chief Minister Nitish Kumar had the Road Construction portfolio, the bridge was scheduled to be completed by 2019. After delays, it was to be completed by December 31, 2023.
