Gopalganj: Three engineers have been suspended after a span of an under-construction bridge collapsed over the Ghoghri river in Bihar’s Gopalganj district, prompting a departmental inquiry into alleged negligence and procedural lapses.
The incident occurred during the concreting of a reinforced cement concrete (RCC) bridge being built under the NABARD state scheme on the Bakharoul Kurmi Tola road in Sidhwalia block. According to officials in Patna, a section of the structure between L-041 and L-039 gave way while casting was under way. No casualties or damage to surrounding property were reported.
The Rural Works Department said it had taken “serious cognisance” of the matter and suspended the executive engineer, assistant engineer and junior engineer of Gopalganj Works Division-2 with immediate effect. The contractor executing the project, Bapudham Construction of Motihari, is also facing action, officials said.
A team comprising the chief engineer, superintending engineer, nodal officer and senior bridge consultant has been sent to the site to determine the cause of the structural failure. Departmental sources said executive engineers had previously been directed to ensure that detailed project reports (DPRs) were vetted by a senior bridge consultant before construction began. In this case, officials allege that the directive was not followed.
Construction of the bridge began on March 7 last year, with a completion deadline of March 6, 2026. At a review meeting on February 28, the department had reiterated the need for mandatory DPR scrutiny across divisions to safeguard construction quality and prevent precisely such incidents.Officials said stricter monitoring and technical evaluation would now be enforced to ensure adherence to engineering standards in publicly funded infrastructure projects.
