Araria: Continuous rainfall in Bihar has caused sections of major roads to cave in, disrupting traffic and raising concerns over infrastructure maintenance. On Saturday night, half of the Araria-Narpatganj stretch of National Highway 27 collapsed, leaving a truck overturned in a roadside ditch. No casualties were reported.
The highway, which connects Silchar in Assam to Porbandar in Gujarat, is a critical trade route. It passes near an Integrated Check Post (ICP) close to the Nepal border, serving as a key corridor for India–Nepal import-export activities. Thousands of trucks and containers use the route daily, highlighting its strategic and economic importance.
Local residents expressed frustration at the incident, criticising what they describe as poor maintenance of the road. “If timely repairs are not carried out, this route could seriously affect traffic and commercial activities across the region,” said one resident.
NHAI engineer Kumar Saurabh, who inspected the site, confirmed that heavy rainfall caused the collapse. “The incident occurred due to a rain cut. The truck was overloaded and overturned after veering off the side. Maintenance is being addressed. A team has been deployed for repairs,” he said. One lane of the highway has been closed while repair work is underway.
The collapse follows another recent road failure in Patna city, where a three-year-old road near the Mithapur vegetable market gave way over a drain, forming a 10-foot pit. Stones fell into the cavity, but no injuries were reported. The road remains closed pending repairs.
Bihar has been experiencing unrelenting rainfall since Friday, prompting the Disaster Management Department to issue warnings. From Patna to Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Rohtas, Sitamarhi, Shivhar, Nalanda, and Darbhanga, residents in both urban and rural areas have reported difficulties due to flooding and waterlogging.
