Witnesses at the construction site recorded the collapse on camera, and the footage was quickly shared on social media platforms. (Image source: IANS)
The recent collapse of the Sultanganj-Aguwani Ghat road bridge has heightened concerns, especially since the construction company responsible for the project, SK Singla Construction Pvt. Ltd., has not provided any clarification on the incident.
The Bihar government led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar faced a huge embarrassment on Saturday when a part of the superstructure of the under-construction Sultanganj-Agulwani Ghat bridge collapsed and fell into the Ganga again .
While no one was injured in the latest incident on the bridge, which took nine years to build, the repeated collapse of sections of the bridge has raised serious questions about the quality of the construction and the alignment of the work.
The recent collapse of the Sultanganj-Aguwani Ghat road bridge has heightened concerns, especially since the construction company responsible for the project, SK Singla Construction Pvt. Ltd., has yet to provide any clarification on the incident.
Witnesses at the construction site recorded the collapse on camera, and the footage was quickly shared on social media platforms.
The bridge was envisioned by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as a critical infrastructure project to connect Sultanganj in Bhagalpur district and Aguani Ghat in Kagaria district, facilitating travel from Bhagalpur via Kagarya. Garia left for Jharkhand.
It is also expected to ease traffic congestion at the Vikramshila Bridge, an important hub in the region.
However, multiple collapses – this is the third incident, the last one occurring on June 4, 2023 – have highlighted major flaws and poor quality of the building.
Earlier, the collapse between pillars 10 and 12 on the Kagaria side had led to widespread criticism of the Bihar government.
In response, the government penalized SK Singla Construction Pvt. Ltd. and requested that the bridge be rebuilt at the company's expense.
Notably, another section of the bridge on the Bhagalpur side collapsed on June 30, 2022, when the superstructure between pillars 5 and 6 fell into the Ganga.
The latest collapse on Saturday involved a superstructure made of iron angles, which also fell into the river.
Experts pointed out that misalignment issues may be the cause of these repeated failures.
The bridge has a total length of 3.16 kilometers. The foundation stone was laid on February 23, 2014, and construction started on March 9, 2015.
The Bihar government has allocated Rs 1,710 crore for the project, underscoring its importance as a major infrastructure initiative.
Still, after nearly nine years of construction, the bridge remains incomplete.
The road construction department of the Bihar government has successfully constructed a 16-km approach road from the Khagaria side and a 4-km approach road from the Bhagalpur side, but the main structure of the bridge is still not completed.
This long delay, coupled with recurring structural failures, has cast a shadow on the project execution and quality of work of SK Singla Construction Pvt. Ltd.
This situation requires urgent review and corrective measures to ensure that the bridge is safe and secure for public use once completed.
(This article has not been edited by News18 staff and is published by IANS, the associated news agency)
