Bihar Government Suspends 15 Engineers Amid Bridge Collapse Crisis

The Bihar government has suspended 15 engineers following a probe into recent bridge collapses across the state. The engineers were found negligent, leading to ineffective monitoring. The Rural Works Department has also initiated blacklisting the contractor involved in one of the collapses and halted their payments.

The Bihar government has suspended 15 engineers in connection with a series of recent bridge collapses across the state, a senior official reported on Friday.

This decision follows a thorough investigation by a probe panel, which submitted its findings to the Water Resources Department (WRD). Over the past 17 days, a total of 10 bridges collapsed in the districts of Siwan, Saran, Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran, and Kishanganj, officials disclosed.

The report attributes the collapses to negligence and ineffective monitoring by the engineers. Additional Chief Secretary of WRD, Chaitanya Prasad, stated that these factors were the primary reasons behind the structural failures. In addition, the Rural Works Department (RWD) initiated the process of blacklisting the contractor responsible for the bridge in Araria and halted all payments to the firm pending the probe's completion.

The department has also sought explanations from officials regarding the collapses in East Champaran and Madhubani, which occurred on June 23 and June 26, respectively. According to Dipak Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary of RWD, investigations into these incidents are already underway. Reacting to the bridge failures, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav criticized the NDA-led Bihar government and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for their silence, alleging rampant corruption. In response, NDA ally Jitan Ram Manjhi emphasized that the issue should not be politicized and assured stringent action against those found responsible. Another NDA ally, Chirag Paswan, stressed that the government is taking the matter seriously and initiating actions against the erring officials and contractors.

(Disclaimer: With inputs from agencies.)