Patna, March 2: A portion of an under-construction bridge collapsed in Bihar’s Gopalganj district, officials said, adding that no injuries were reported in the incident.
The collapse occurred on the evening of February 28 in Siddhwalia block, where the bridge was being constructed over the Ghoghari River by the state’s Rural Works Department (RWD). The project was being built at an estimated cost of ₹2.87 crore.
Gopalganj District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Sinha visited the site and ordered strict departmental action after a preliminary investigation found negligence in supervision of the construction work.
“After the preliminary investigation, it was found that both the engineers concerned were guilty of not supervising the construction of the bridge properly,” Sinha said.
The district administration has ordered suspension and termination of service of the Assistant Engineer (AE) and Junior Engineer (JE) associated with the project. The contractor responsible for the construction has also been ordered to be blacklisted.
Authorities said the contractor failed to follow quality management protocols during the construction of the bridge.
The incident adds to a growing list of infrastructure failures in Bihar, where more than a dozen bridges, both large and small, reportedly collapsed across different districts in 2024.
