Ganga Bridge Collapses for Third Time in Two Years, Contractor Blamed for Faulty Design

Patna: The Rs 1,710 crore Ganga bridge, linking NH 31 with NH 80, collapsed for the third time in the last two years on Saturday morning. The under-construction bridge had earlier collapsed on April 27, 2022, and June 4, 2023.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had laid the foundation stone of the bridge on February 23, 2014. The bridge, expected to link Khagaria with Sultanganj in Bhagalpur, is being constructed by the Bihar State Bridge Construction Corporation.

On Saturday evening, the corporation issued a press release blaming the faulty design by the contractor, Shingla Construction Company. According to the press release, after the collapse of pillars nine and ten in 2022, IIT Roorkee was asked to investigate the causes of the collapse. Experts found the design faulty.

The contractor has been directed to reconstruct the entire bridge at its own cost, as directed by the Patna High Court, after dismantling the existing structure.

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