Patna (Bihar) [India], September 24 : Dismissing the opposition's allegation of widespread corruption in the state after another collapse of an under-construction bridge in Samastipur, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar work is being done to build good roads and bridges.
"Under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the entire system is in order and with constant monitoring, work is being done to build good roads and good bridges in Bihar," Samrat Choudhary told reporters here.
A section between two pillars of the connecting path of under-construction Bakhtiyarpur-Tajpur Bridge collapsed near Nandani Lagunia Railway Station in Samastipur, triggering a row.
Manager Mohan Singh said that the incident that took place on Sunday was not a collapse but a dismantling process. He said that the span did not collapse but a girder was dismantled during a process of replacement.
The incident sparked political reactions, with RJD leader Mrityunjay Tiwari condemning the government's handling of infrastructure safety.
"Crime in Bihar is on the rise. The trend of bridges collapsing in Bihar is continuing. The government is exposed. They were trying to put back the debris into a JCB. This is the case with almost all bridges in Bihar. Corruption is at its peak," Tiwari said.
In response, JDU leader Neeraj Kumar defended the administration, highlighting the ongoing construction efforts under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
"In the tenure of CM Nitish Kumar, bridges are being built on the Ganga approximately every 40 km. Did the Bakhtiyarpur-Tajpur span collapse? When the span casting was not done, how can it collapse? It was a six-year-old beam that had corroded," Kumar said.
Earlier, in July, the Supreme Court issued notice to the Bihar government on a petition seeking to issue directions to the state government to conduct the highest level of structural audit of all existing and under-construction bridges in the state and to demolish or retrofit weak structures depending on feasibility in the wake of the collapse of bridges in the State.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud asked the Bihar government and other concerned respondents to file a reply to the petition.
The court was hearing the petition filed by the petitioner and advocate, Brajesh Singh, who has urged the top court to issue directions to the Bihar government to conduct the highest level of structural audit of all existing bridges and under construction bridges in the state and to demolish or retrofit weak structures depending of feasibility.