Political tensions in Bihar have heightened following the collapse of a section of the Vikramshila Bridge in Bhagalpur. Opposition leaders have criticized the ruling NDA government, accusing them of corruption. Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, criticized the government on social media for alleged corruption in the construction and maintenance of the bridge.
Tejashwi Yadav shared images of the damaged bridge, claiming that prior warnings about its condition were disregarded. He blamed the collapse of the bridge into the Ganges River on corruption under the NDA government. Yadav also alleged that despite raising concerns about the bridge’s vulnerability a month earlier, no corrective action was taken by the government.
The Opposition leader stated that more than 100 bridges and culverts have collapsed in Bihar over the past two years due to systemic corruption. He mentioned that although several vehicles were on the bridge during the incident, a major tragedy was narrowly averted as no vehicle was directly on the collapsed portion. The state government has taken action post-incident, with the Road Construction Department suspending an Executive Engineer for negligence.
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has engaged in discussions with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to address urgent repair measures. Reports suggest that assistance from the Indian Army might be requested to accelerate the restoration work on the bridge. The collapse occurred around 12:50 A.M. on Monday, affecting connectivity across nearly 16 districts and disrupting the daily commute of around one lakh people.
