Kishanganj bridge collapse: NHAI suspends four officials

Kishanganj (Bihar): A day after a portion of an under-construction bridge collapsed near Ghori in Bihar’s Kishanganj district, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on Sunday suspended four officials who were part of the project.

The under-construction bridge over the Mechi river would link Kishanganj and Katihar upon completion.

“The NHAI has suspended four officials who were associated with the construction of the bridge. The project is worth Rs 1500 crore,” NHAI Regional Manager Awadesh Kumar said.

He, however, did not reveal the names of the officials suspended.

A pillar of the bridge near Ghori on NH-327E collapsed on Saturday. The superstructure was erected in May and the bridge was not yet in operation.

An expert committee has been formed, which is scheduled to visit the site for a detailed investigation, another NHAI official said.

The state government has clarified that the structure was part of a central government project.

Another under-construction bridge, which was supposed to connect Khagaria district with Bhagalpur, had collapsed on June 4.