State Issues Show Cause Notices to Construction Companies

In response to a series of bridge collapses over the past two weeks, the Bihar government has suspended 15 engineers from the water resources and rural works departments for alleged negligence. Show cause notices have been issued to two construction companies, questioning why they should not be blacklisted.

Since June 18, ten bridges have collapsed across the state, affecting areas such as Kishanganj, Araria, Madhubani, East Champaran, Siwan, and Saran, with four of these incidents occurring in Siwan alone. The government is withholding payments to certain contractors and construction companies as part of its crackdown.

“A total of nine bridges and culverts have collapsed in different districts of the state, out of which six were very old and three were under construction,” stated the government.

The water resources department has suspended 11 officials, including executive engineers, assistant engineers, and junior engineers. The rural works department has also suspended four of its current and former engineers for dereliction of duty.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has demanded an inspection report on all under-construction and old bridges in Bihar within two weeks. The incidents have sparked a political storm, with the government and opposition trading accusations over accountability. Building Construction Minister Ashok Kumar Choudhary blamed former deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav for not implementing a robust bridge maintenance policy, to which Yadav responded, calling the situation a case of "the pot calling the kettle black."