After five bridges collapsed in Bihar in a span of nine days, a portion of an under-construction bridge collapsed in Jharkhand’s Giridih district on June 29.
An official has said that a girder of the bridge over the Arga river collapsed and a pillar got tilted in heavy rain. However, no injury was reported.
The incident occurred on Saturday night in the Deori block, approximately 235 km from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand. The bridge, under construction on the Fatehpur-Bhelwagati road, is intended to connect the villages of Dumritola and Karipahri.
Vinay Kumar, Executive Engineer of Road Construction Department, Giridih, told PTI that a single-span girder of the bridge collapsed after heavy rain on Saturday night and a pillar was left tilted. The contractor has been asked to rebuild the portion. However, Kumar did not reveal the cost of the project.
As per sources, the bridge is being built at a cost of around Rs 5 crore and will connect remote villages of Giridih in Jharkhand and Jamui district in Bihar. An engineer mentioned that the girder casting was completed a week ago, but it required at least 28 days to gain the necessary strength.
Month of mishaps
June 2024 has become the month of mishaps for India’s infrastructure. In a span of days, the country has witnessed infrastructure failures across sectors. From the roof of Delhi airport’s T1 collapsing to five bridges collapsing in Bihar to the Kanchanjunga Express collision in West Bengal, incidents have surfaced throughout the month, raising several questions on the integrity of the nation’s infrastructure.
(With PTI inputs)