A part of a key bridge over the Ganga river collapsed in Bihar's Bhagalpur district early Monday, prompting the authorities to order an investigation, officials said.
No casualty was reported in the incident that stopped traffic movement on the 4.7-kilometre-long Vikramshila Setu, which connects Bhagalpur and Naugachia in the district.
The authorities have arranged steamers and boats to ferry people from one side of the river to the other following the incident.
Bhagalpur District Magistrate Nawal Kishor Choudhary said, “Around 12:50 am, a gap was formed near pillar number 133 of the Vikramshila Setu. Shortly after that, a major slab fell into the river.”
There is no information about any vehicle falling with the slab or casualties, he said.
“As soon as officials received information about the gap between the two slabs, they acted promptly to remove all vehicles and people from the spot,” the DM said.
Stating that traffic is blocked on both sides of the bridge, he urged people to take an alternate route via Munger.
Bihar State Bridge Construction Corporation (BSBCC) Chairman Chandrashekhar Singh said that Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has spoken with the Defence Minister and the Army chief to ensure alternative arrangements for people with the help of Border Road Organisation and the army setup.
Meanwhile, arrangements for boats and steamers have been made to ensure transportation of people and small vehicles, and a target has been set for repair of the bridge within three months, he said.
“In the long term, considering high traffic pressure on Vikramshila Setu, a parallel four-lane bridge is being constructed, which will be completed by December this year,” said the BSBCC chairman.
On the probable causes behind the accident, Bhagalpur DM said, “An expert engineering committee has been notified, which will investigate the incident.”
Asked whether there was damage to the protection wall near the collapsed portion, Choudhary said this could only be ascertained after a proper inspection.
In March this year, a video clip surfaced on social media showing the bridge's protection walls in a deteriorated state. The then Road Construction Minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal had said that the degraded backwall would soon be reconstructed.
“About a month ago, following reports of deterioration of a protection wall, we sent a team there, which confirmed the damage to a false wall but maintained that the pillar was fine. Based on the report, we had prepared a detailed project report (DPR) for maintenance, which is currently in the approval process,” Singh said.