Araria: A newly built bridge in Araria district of Bihar has collapsed, creating shock and anger among local people. The bridge, built at a cost of Rs3.8 crore, connected Kauachar village in Forbesganj block. It was constructed in 2019 but started deteriorating soon after completion. On Monday, the middle pillar of the bridge suddenly gave way, stopping all movement of vehicles and people. The incident has taken place during the election season, causing a stir within the government and the Rural Works Department.
This is the second major bridge collapse in Araria within a short time. Earlier, in June 2024, a Rs12 crore bridge over the Bakra River in the Sikti block had also fallen apart before it was even opened to the public. Both bridges were constructed by the same department — the Rural Works Department of Araria — which is now under fire for repeated cases of negligence. The frequent collapse of such costly projects has raised serious doubts about the quality of construction and the accountability of officials.
Local villagers have accused the department of using poor-quality materials and ignoring proper supervision during construction. They claim that the bridge showed cracks and weaknesses within a few years, but no action was taken. Now, with the bridge completely damaged, residents are facing major problems in commuting. This bridge also connected the ancestral village of MP Pradeep Kumar Singh, making the issue politically sensitive ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections.
Rural Works Department engineer Chandrashekhar Kumar confirmed that the department was informed about the bridge’s condition on October 30, 2025. He said both the District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police had been alerted for public safety. Although the contractor’s five-year guarantee period has ended, the engineer said that the department would still inspect the bridge’s quality and take action against those found responsible.
The Araria Rural Works Department has been surrounded by controversy for repeated irregularities. Both the collapsed bridges — one in Sikti and the other in Forbesganj — were supervised by the same department, though handled by different contractors. The Kauachar bridge, which was 129 metres long and built at a cost of Rs3.8 crore, was expected to last decades but instead collapsed within six years. The incident has once again raised questions about corruption, poor monitoring, and the state of Bihar’s infrastructure.
