Patna:Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has sought explanation from officials over a statement attributing 'strong winds' for the collapse of a part of an under-construction bridge in Bihar's Sultanganj. In a programme organized in Delhi, Gadkari asked the Secretary to explain how the Rs 1,711 crore bridge collapsed due to strong wind and mist as claimed by the concerned officials.
The 3.160 km Aguwani bridge in Sultanganj of Bhagalpur, Bihar, could not withstand the slightest storm and collapsed on April 29 causing loss of crores of rupees to the public exchequer. Expressing astonishment at this, Gadkari said that how could an IAS officer believe in such an explanation.
''I cannot understand how the bridge can collapse due to wind and mist. There must have been some mistake, due to which the bridge collapsed,” Gadkari said. During the programme, the Union Minister stressed on the need to reduce the cost of construction of bridges without compromising on the quality. The foundation stone of this bridge was laid by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at Parbatta in Khagaria district on February 23, 2014.
An inquiry has been ordered in the bridge collapse incident. State Road Construction Minister Nitin Naveen said experts from IIT Roorkee and Patna NIT will jointly investigate the bridge collapse. Action will be taken against the guilty, the minister said. He said that the target is to complete the construction of the bridge by October-November 2022.
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