Bihar bridge collapse: PIL in Patna High Court seeking independent probe

A PIL has been filed in the Patna High Court seeking an independent inquiry into the collapse of the Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge in Bihar's Bhagalpur on Sunday.

The petitioner, Manibhushan Pratap Sengar, in his writ petition, sought an independent probe instead of a departmental inquiry and action against SP Singla Company, involved with the construction of the bridge.

The PIL also sought recovery of losses of thousands of crores to the exchequer due to the collapse of the bridge.

As the politics over the bridge collapse in Bihar gained momentum, state Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tej Pratap Yadav accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of demolishing the bridge.

"The bridge has been demolished by BJP. We are building the bridge and they are demolishing it," Tej Pratap Yadav told reporters on Monday.

On the other hand, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad demanded an audit of all under-construction bridges in Bihar after the Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge collapse.

Blaming the lack of audits, Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday said, "This is the second time bridge has collapsed, this is a conspiracy, what was done when it collapsed the first time, what actions were taken against the company that constructed the bridge? Nitish Kumar is busy uniting Opposition, forgetting Bihar. If a bridge falls for a second time, then it is a reason to worry...I hope that all bridges under construction should be audited..."

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ordered a probe into the collapse of an under-construction bridge in Bhagalpur and asked the officials to identify those responsible for the incident.

Nitish Kumar on Monday instructed officials to take strict action against those responsible for the "poor construction work" of the under-construction bridge over River Ganga.

"The bridge that collapsed yesterday had collapsed last year also. I have instructed the authorities concerned to look into the matter seriously. It is not being constructed correctly that's why it is collapsing again and again. The department will look into it, I have instructed officials to visit the site and action will be taken," CM Nitish Kumar said on Monday.