On Saturday morning, a portion of the under-construction Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge over the Ganga River in Bihar collapsed. Khagarias District Magistrate, Amit Kumar Pandey, confirmed that the incident took place around 8 AM, fortunately resulting in no casualties or injuries.Bridge was set for dismantlingProviding further details, District Magistrate Pandey explained that the bridge, which has been riddled with structural flaws, was already scheduled for dismantling. The Patna High Court had directed the contractor to dismantle the bridge after construction was halted due to its faulty structure. The entire bridge was deemed defective, and dismantling work was underway as per the courts orders, Pandey informed the media. The collapse occurred during this dismantling process, ensuring no casualties were reported.बिहार : भागलपुर में आज सुबह गंगा पुल के पिलर का स्ट्रक्चर गिरा। ये तीसरी बार है जब इस पुल का स्ट्रक्चर गिरा है। इससे पहले 4 जून 2023 और 30 अप्रैल 2022 को भी पिलर गिरा था। 2016 में बनना शुरू हुए 440 मीटर लंबे इस पुल बनने की डेडलाइन साल-2026 है। 1716 करोड़ रुपए खर्च हो रहे हैं। pic.twitter.com/E6aQ4Cjb1S— Sachin Gupta (@SachinGuptaUP) August 17, 2024A troubled history of failuresThis incident adds to the bridges troubled history, which has seen multiple collapse events in recent years. The first major collapse happened on June 30, 2022, on the Bhagalpur side of the bridge, when the superstructure between pillars 5 and 6 crumbled into the Ganga River. Another section fell on June 4, 2023, between pillars 10 and 12 on the Khagaria side, sparking widespread criticism of the Bihar governments handling of the project.The latest collapse continues a worrying trend of construction failures in Bihar, raising significant concerns about the quality of construction and oversight in the state. The repeated failures of this bridge highlight serious flaws in the planning, execution, and supervision of infrastructure projects in the region.
