Patna (Bihar) [India], May 4 : Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Monday criticised the NDA government after a slab of the Vikramshila Setu collapsed in Bhagalpur.
In a statement, the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader blamed corruption for the incident and said the bridge, which had earlier been flagged as unsafe, collapsed without any loss of life due to luck.
Speaking on X, he said, "And now, courtesy of the corrupt NDA government, the Vikramshila Bridge in Bhagalpur has taken samadhi in the Ganga River. Does one need any more direct proof of corruption than this? Last month, we had warned the government that this bridge could collapse, but as usual, the government washed its hands off, defending its corrupt system. At the time the bridge fell, numerous vehicles were on it, but by God's grace, they were not on the falling slab, so there was no loss of life or property. In the past two years, more than 100 bridges and culverts have collapsed in Bihar--that's precisely why Bihar tops the charts in corruption."
Meanwhile, Chandrashekhar Singh, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Bihar State Power Holding Company Limited, confirmed that a portion of the bridge had collapsed but said there were no casualties.
"There has been an accident in Bhagalpur. A slab of the Vikramshila-Setu bridge has collapsed. The traffic police of Bhagalpur reached there first, stopped the traffic completely and cleared the bridge. After some time, the slab completely collapsed and fell into the river. No casualties were reported," he said.
He added that the bridge maintenance falls under the NH Division RCD and that the administrator responsible has been suspended.
"We have sent a team there. We have also requested IIT Patna to find ways to restore it as soon as possible. We are trying to set up alternative facilities for the people there. The Chief Minister of India has spoken to the Defence Minister and the Army Chief. We are also consulting the Border Roads Organisation and the Army to arrange alternative facilities. We will work on it as per the recommendations of the technical team," he said.
Late at night, a slab between two pillars of the Vikramshila Setu, which connects the Purvanchal region to Seemanchal across the Ganga, collapsed.
District officials, including the DM and senior police officers, rushed to the spot soon after the incident. Traffic has been halted, routes have been diverted, and people at the site have been evacuated.
The bridge, a key link between Bhagalpur and Seemanchal, remains closed to traffic.
Reports indicate that a 10-inch expansion joint first subsided, after which a slab near pier number 133 gave way and fell into the river.