Portion of under-construction bridge collapses in Bihar

Patna: A portion of an under-construction bridge collapsed in Bihar's Patna district, an official said on Monday.

No one was injured in the incident that occurred on Sunday night, he said.

The incident comes in the backdrop of more than a dozen bridges and causeways collapsed in several Bihar districts in the recent past.

The construction of the ‘Bakhtiyarpur-Tajpur Ganga Mahasetu’ has been supervised by the Bihar State Road Development Corporation Ltd (BSRDCL).

“The incident took place during the replacement of bearings of girders of the Bakhtiyarpur-Tajpur Ganga Mahasetu. While placing the girders on the pillars, one of them collapsed.

"Replacing the bearings is a routine exercise. There are no reports of casualty. We are going to the spot to inspect the ongoing work," BSRDCL Chief General Manager Prabin Chandra Gupta told PTI.

Sources said the construction of the project has been going on for the last several years.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar laid the foundation stone for the construction of the 5.57-kilometre-long Bakhtiyarpur-Tajpur Ganga Mahasetu in June 2011. The total cost of the project was estimated at Rs 1,602.74 crore.

"A girder of the under-construction bridge fell on the Bakhtiyarpur side during routine work," Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh told PTI.

After completion of the project, the bridge will connect National Highway 28 in Samastipur and NH 31 in Patna.

The project is aimed at reducing traffic load on Mahatma Gandhi Setu in Patna and Rajendra Setu in Mokama.

When completed, it would also serve as another vital road link between north and south Bihar.