An Invisible Bridge! Brokers Busted For Illegal River Crossing

Authorities in Bihar’s Purnea district have uncovered an illegally built bridge over the Kari Koshi River, allegedly constructed by real estate brokers to boost the value of nearby lands they hold stakes in, officials said Friday.

The 60-foot-long, 10-foot-wide structure in Rahmat Nagar, Ward No. 4, has been ordered demolished by the Purnea Municipal Corporation (PMC).

Municipal Commissioner Kumar Mangalam confirmed to PTI that the bridge was erected without PMC approval or knowledge. “It’s under our jurisdiction, and we’ve sought clarification from the Water Resources Department,” he said. A team sent Thursday to dismantle it was halted by locals, reportedly stirred up by those with vested interests.

“We will take action as per the law,” Mangalam added, not ruling out involvement of land mafia or brokers, though locals remain silent on who’s responsible.

The bridge, a basic concrete slab, lacks official sanction and safety standards, raising concerns about its stability. It’s believed to be a ploy to make adjoining plots more attractive to buyers in an area prone to flooding from the unpredictable Koshi River.

This isn’t the first bridge-related oddity in Bihar—last year, a government-built span over the Burhi Gandak in Muzaffarpur made headlines for lacking approach roads, becoming a social media spectacle. In Purnea, however, this unauthorized effort highlights a brazen attempt to manipulate the real estate market.

Authorities are now preparing to enforce its removal, signaling a crackdown on such rogue ventures.