"Bridge along with road was sanctioned in 2019...": Jharkhand Construction Department's Executive Engineer on Bridge collapse

Jun 30, 2024

Giridih (Jharkhand) [India], June 30 : After the bridge collapsed in Jharkhand's Giridih, Executive Engineer of the State Construction Department, Vinay Kumar on Sunday said that the bridge along with the road was sanctioned in 2019 adding that more details will be revealed after the investigation.
"This bridge along with the road was sanctioned in 2019. The other aspects will be revealed only after investigation," Executive Engineer of the State Construction Department, Vinay Kumar told reporters.
Earlier on Saturday night, a portion of the under-construction bridge collapsed and a pillar got tilted due to heavy rain in Jharkhand's Giridih district.
Further investigation is underway.
Earlier, five bridges - in Araria, Siwan, East Champaran, Kishanganj, and Madhubani districts - have collapsed across the state in the last nine days.
The first incident of a bridge collapse was reported on June 18 in Araria. The latest one took place in Madhubani.
The Madhubani incident came just a day after another bridge fell in Kishanganj district.
On June 22, a bridge over the Gandak River in Siwan, approximately 40-45 years old, also fell.
On June 23, a bridge under construction in East Champaran, costing around Rs 1.5 crore, collapsed, with locals blaming the use of substandard materials.
The bridge connecting Araria's Sikhti and Kursakatta was washed away before its inauguration.
The incident has raised significant concerns about infrastructure safety in the region. A video capturing the collapse depicts the bridge crumbling within seconds, reducing it to debris.
Last year in June, a portion of a temporary bridge built on River Ganga in the Vaishali district of Bihar was partly washed away by strong winds.