Bhagalpur (Bihar): A section of the Rs 1750 crore under-construction four-lane Sultanganj-Aguwani bridge on Ganga river in Bihar's Bhagalpur district collapsed on Saturday morning. No injuries were reported, officials said.
The super structure of pillar number 9 of the bridge collapsed and within a few seconds a portion of the bridge sank into the river. The incident was reported at around 7 am. This is the third time that the bridge collapsed since its construction started in 2015.
The 3.160 km long bridge is being constructed at a cost of Rs 1750 crore and is termed as an ambitious scheme of the Bihar government. The foundation stone of the bridge was laid on February 23, 2014 and its construction started on March 4, 2015. Since then, the bridge has collapsed twice and on both instances, its superstructure had fallen into the river.
The first incident of collapse was on April 30, 2022 when segment number 36 connecting pillars 4 and 6 of the Bhagalpur-Aguwani bridge had sunk into the river due to gusts of wind. The second was on June 5, 2023 when the super structure connecting pillar numbers 11, 12 and 13 were destroyed. Finally, on August 17, the super structure of pillar number 9 of the bridge sunk into the Ganga river.
The bridge is being constructed by SP Singhla Construction Company. The company had claimed that the bridge would become operational next year but the frequent collapses have raised questions on its quality.
Read more
Bihar Bridge Collapse Incidents: SC Issues Notice to State Government, NHAI
