Tejashwi Yadav Targets Bihar Government Over Vikramshila Bridge Collapse

Political tensions intensified in Bihar on Monday after a portion of the Vikramshila Bridge in Bhagalpur collapsed into the Ganges River, triggering a sharp exchange between the opposition and the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. The incident has raised serious concerns over infrastructure safety and maintenance standards in the state.

Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, strongly criticised the government on social media platform X, alleging large-scale corruption in the construction and upkeep of the bridge. He shared images of the damaged structure and claimed that repeated warnings about its condition had been ignored by the authorities despite prior alerts about structural risks.

Tejashwi Yadav further alleged that the collapse was a direct outcome of what he described as systemic corruption under the NDA government. He claimed that concerns regarding the bridge’s vulnerability were raised as recently as last month but no corrective steps were taken. He also asserted that over the past two years, more than 100 bridges and culverts have collapsed across Bihar, blaming poor governance and oversight for recurring infrastructure failures.

Also Read: Jammu Bridge Collapse Claims Three Lives; Government Orders Probe And Suspensions

According to the opposition leader, several vehicles were reportedly on the bridge around the time of the incident, but a major tragedy was narrowly avoided as no vehicle was present on the exact portion that gave way. He said the incident highlighted the urgent need for accountability in public infrastructure projects and called for a thorough investigation into construction and maintenance practices.

Meanwhile, the state government has initiated immediate administrative action following the collapse. The Road Construction Department suspended an Executive Engineer on grounds of alleged negligence. Officials said preliminary findings point to lapses in maintenance responsibility, while further inquiries have been ordered to determine the exact cause of the structural failure.

Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary also held discussions with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh regarding urgent repair and restoration measures. Sources indicated that assistance from the Indian Army may be sought to speed up reconstruction work. The collapse of a 33-metre stretch of the 4.7-kilometre-long Vikramshila Setu around 12:50 a.m. has severely disrupted connectivity across nearly 16 districts, including Seemanchal and parts of Jharkhand, affecting daily travel for an estimated one lakh people.

Also Read: Nishant Kumar Begins Sadbhav Yatra to Highlight Bihar Government’s Development Work