Patna

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After a portion of an under-construction Khagaria-Aguwani bridge in the eastern Indian state of Bihar collapsed on Sunday (June 4), Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav has said it was a planned demolition as experts had discovered 'serious defects' in the design. 

Addressing a hurried press conference after the accident, Yadav appeared alongside the additional chief secretary of road construction department, Pratyay Amrit and made the statement. 

"It may be recalled that a portion of this bridge had collapsed on April 30 last year. I strongly raised it in my capacity as the then Leader of the Opposition," said Yadav. 

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"Upon coming to power, we ordered an inquiry and sought expert opinion...approached IIT-Roorkee, which is esteemed for its expertise in construction matters, to conduct a study. It is yet to come up with a final report but experts who had studied the structure had informed us that there were serious defects."

Yadav disclosed that several 'vulnerable' parts of the bridge had already been pulled down due to structural flaws. He added that Sunday's incident confirmed the government's "worst apprehensions". 

Meanwhile, Amrit, confirmed that parts of bridges were pulled out. 

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"It was decided that we must not take any chance and wait for a final report. So we went ahead with pulling down parts of the bridge."

Watch: Thieves steal 29-foot tall mobile tower in Indian state of Bihar

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According to reports, the state government is waiting for the final report to come before taking action such as lodging an FIR and blacklisting the company which was awarded the contract. 

Yadav added that his government remained committed to building the bridge which was an important infrastructure project for the people of north Bihar.  

"This bridge is of great importance for north Bihar where connectivity will greatly improve once it begins to function. We are committed to completing the project after setting right everything that has been wrong."

Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge and its history

Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar laid the foundation of the bridge in 2015, and its construction was scheduled to be completed within five years. However, the bridge remained under construction with the latest deadline promising completion by December 2023. 

Watch: Another under-construction bridge collapses in India’s Bihar

The proposed bridge was expected to significantly shorten the distance between Mithulanchal and Kosi region, as well as between Munger and Khagaria. Upon completion, the distance between Mithulanchal and Kosi will be reduced by 50 km, while the distance between Munger and Khagaria will be reduced to 35 km. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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