A lawyer has filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Patna High Court seeking an independent inquiry into the collapse of an under-construction four-lane bridge built over the Ganga river in Bhagalpur district of Bihar.
Filed by Advocate Manibhushan Pratap Sengar, the petition further sought action against SP Singla Company, which was involved in the construction of the bridge, besides directions to the respondents to reconstruct the collapsed bridge immediately.
Noting that the collapse of the bridge being built at a cost of Rs 1,710 crore showed that the construction company had been negligent in its duty, the petitioner sought directions to the respondents to punish those found guilty in the incident.
It also mentioned the huge loss caused to the public exchequer as well as the inconvenience to the public due to the negligent and unaccountable work.
The petitioner further accused the State of Bihar and its authorities of giving the company further time to complete the work despite the fact that the company had delayed the work.
It alleged that the respondents misused huge public money with the collusion of power, adding that instead of constructing the bridge properly, they mismanaged the entire construction with the intent to defalcate public money.
A super-structure of the four-lane Sultanganj-Aguani Ghat bridge across the Ganga in Bihar, connecting Sultanganj in Bhagalpur with Khagaria district, collapsed on Sunday. As per media reports, at least 30 slabs of pillars, measuring around 100 feet, had collapsed. This was the second incident on the same under-construction bridge. On April 30 last year, the super structures of three pillars had collapsed.
Measuring 3.16 km, the bridge, once complete, would become the sixth one across the river Ganga to connect the northern part of Bihar (NH 31) with the southern part (NH 80) between Patna and Bhagalpur. It would also be the second bridge on Ganga in Bhagalpur district.