A span of Vikramshila Setu collapsed in Bhagalpur .
By Avijit BiswasÂ
Bhagalpur: A suspended span of Vikramshila Setu, the bridge over river Ganga here collapsed last night leading to total disruption of traffic between southern and northern side of the river.
The suspended span located between pillars no 3 and 4 in zone A of the bridge collapsed around 12.35 AM last night. As per official information the suspended span initially caved in and collapsed subsequently.
Despite huge traffic load on the bridge, there was no untoward incident following collapse of suspended span as traffic movement was restricted and bridge was evacuated in time.
Timely action taken to stop traffic movement on bridge, it is largely felt helped avert a major accident. The traffic police personnels on duty at bridge it is said first came to know about caving in of suspended span.
Subsequently District Magistrate (DM) Nawal Kishore Choudhury and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramod Kumar Yadav were informed about the problem by traffic police personals.
The officials in turn directed them to immediately restrict traffic movement over the suspended portion of the span found caving in and also for evacuation of the bridge.
Within short time traffic movement was restricted on the bridge, the damaged suspended span collapsed and fell into the river. The Vikramshila Setu connects Naugachia subdivision of this district located on other side of Ganga with district headquarter.
The bridge links NH -80 in southern side of river with NH-31 in northern side of river. Constructed in 2001, the bridge provides vital road connectivity to north east from Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and further beyond.
In recent past following information about some fault in a pillar of the bridge, a team consisting experts of road construction department and Bihar Bridge Construction Corporation had been here for inspecting condition of the bridge.
Following inspection though no fault could be detected in pillar however some damages were found in protection wall of the pillar. The experts of Patna IIT were also consulted in connection with reported fault in pillar of the bridge. Taking into consideration age and huge volume of traffic on the bridge, undertaking thorough maintenance work of the bridge had been proposed government level.
General people in number of cases said it is now long the bridge had started showing signs of damage. In fact, thorough maintenance of the bridge was long overdue, they said.
Meanwhile the executive engineer of NH division of road construction department entrusted with responsibility of monitoring and maintenance of the bridge has been put under suspension following collapse of the suspended span.
With disruption of traffic movement on Vikramshila Setu, traffic from both sides of river will be diverted through bridge over Ganga at Munger, it has been decided.
The district administration in the meantime has decided to ensure availability of boat and ferry services for convenience of people travelling between Bhagalpur and Naugachia from 5.00 AM in morning and 5.00 PM in evening every day.
About the Author
Avijit Biswas is a former reporter with the Hindustan Times, Patna Edition, based in Bhagalpur. He has more than 25 years of experience covering politics and other key beats across eastern Bihar. Known for his in-depth ground reporting and strong grasp of regional issues, Biswas has closely followed political developments and social trends in the region, earning credibility for accurate and balanced journalism. Avijt may be contacted at biswasavijit@yahoo.com
About the Author
