A portion of the Rs 1,710 crore under-construction Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge collapsed Saturday -- the third such incident concerning the cable-stayed bridge in the last three years. A portion of the bridge between pillar numbers nine and 10 collapsed. No injuries were reported in the incident. This is the 12th bridge collapse since June 18 this year and 12th incident this year. The previous instances of collapses sparked safety concerns in the state, with the Opposition insinuating corruption. In the making for over nine years, this particular 3.1 km bridge over the river Ganga has seen two such collapses before -- on April 27, 2022, and June 4, 2023. In both instances, the bridge’s superstructure fell into the river below. Significantly, faced with growing concerns over the rising bridge collapses, the state’s Nitish Kumar government suspended 15 engineers earlier this year. Considered a flagship project of the Nitish Kumar government, the Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge is meant to be a key link between the state’s northern and southern parts, connecting the state’s Kosi region comprising districts of Khagaria, Saharsa, Madhepura and Supaul and to the districts of Bhagalpur, Munger and Jamui as well as the Deoghar and Godda in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand. Although the construction began in 2014, it’s only 45 percent complete so far. The bridge project is being undertaken by the SP Singla Constructions Private Ltd -- a company that’s also tasked with other projects in Bihar, a new cable bridge parallel to existing Digha-Sonepur Rail-cum-Road Bridge near Patna among them. SP Singla previously came under the scanner when the Baluaha Ghat Kosi fell even before its inauguration in 2013. The company has been recently tasked with constructing a parallel to Vikramshila Setu in Bhagalpur and is also undertaking other bridge projects in states such as Uttar Pradesh and Assam. The project was meant to be completed by November 2019 but has had eight extensions so far. The latest deadline is December of this year.
