Patna: Political tensions have escalated in Bihar following the collapse of a portion of the Vikramshila Bridge in Bhagalpur, with Opposition leaders launching sharp attacks on the ruling NDA government and making allegations of corruption.
Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, took to social media platform X to criticise the government, alleging large-scale corruption in the construction and maintenance of the bridge.
Sharing images of the damaged structure, he claimed that prior warnings about the bridge’s condition had been ignored.
In his post, Tejashwi Yadav wrote that the collapse of the bridge into the Ganges River was a direct result of corruption under the NDA government.
He further alleged that despite raising concerns last month about the bridge’s vulnerability, the government failed to take corrective action.
He also claimed that over the past two years, more than 100 bridges and culverts have collapsed across Bihar, attributing this to systemic corruption.
He added that although several vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the incident, a major tragedy was narrowly avoided as no vehicle was directly on the portion that collapsed.
Meanwhile, the state government has initiated action following the incident.
The Road Construction Department has suspended an Executive Engineer, citing negligence.
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has also held discussions with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh regarding urgent repair measures.
Sources indicate that assistance from the Indian Army may be sought to expedite restoration work on the bridge.
The incident occurred in the wee hours of Monday, around 12.50 A.M., when an approximately 33-metre stretch of the 4.7-kilometre-long Vikramshila Setu collapsed into the river.
Timely action by the administration in halting traffic helped avert any loss of life.
However, the damage has severely disrupted connectivity across nearly 16 districts, including the Seemanchal region and Jharkhand, impacting the daily commute of around one lakh people.
Notably, the bridge has undergone repairs three times over the past decade, raising concerns about the quality of maintenance and infrastructure oversight.
(IANS)
