Strict action to be taken against those found guilty in bridge collapse: Nitish

A day after the collapse of an under-construction bridge over the Ganga river in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on June 5 said strict action would be taken against those found guilty in the incident.

A day after the collapse of an under-construction bridge over the Ganga river in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on June 5 said strict action would be taken against those found guilty in the incident.

He also said the bridge that collapsed on June 4 had also caved in last year.

"The bridge is not being constructed properly and that is why it collapsed twice since April 2022. It's a serious matter…The department concerned has already initiated a thorough probe into it. Strict action will be taken against those found guilty," Mr. Kumar said, while talking to reporters here.

He also wondered why the bridge construction work that started in 2014 has not been completed so far.

"Why is it running behind the schedule? I have asked the department concerned to probe this also. The Deputy CM is also monitoring the developments," Mr. Kumar said.

The 3.16-km bridge being built since 2014 collapsed twice in 14 months — first on the Bhagalpur’s Sultanganj side in April 2022 and the second time on Sunday evening on the Khagaria side.

The incident attracted public outrage, prompting the Chief Minister to order an investigation with instructions to punish those guilty for the disaster.