Araria (Bihar) [India], May 23 (ANI): Cracks have developed in the Jhamta-Mahishakol bridge over the Parman River in Bihar's Araria district after one of its main pillars sank, raising concerns over the structure's safety barely four years after its construction.

The bridge, built in 2022 at a cost of around Rs 7.32 crore, has developed visible cracks in its main railings, prompting the administration to prohibit the movement of heavy vehicles across it.

Following the development, local residents gathered at the site and raised slogans against the alleged infrastructural lapse and corruption in the construction work.

'We will not tolerate corruption. Suspend the engineer of this bridge,' protesters shouted.

Jan Suraaj, leader, Faisal Jawed Yasin, also questioned the quality of construction and claimed concerns had been raised during the bridge's construction phase itself.

'Not even four years have passed since this bridge was built. The local villagers and we had raised a lot of questions when this bridge was being built, that local sand and poor quality materials were being used to construct it,' Yasin told ANI.

He further alleged that engineers and officials had assured villagers that mistakes would not be repeated and the bridge would remain safe.

'The engineers and the executives said whatever mistakes have been made won't be repeated, and the bridge won't break. We want traffic movement to continue safely under any circumstances. At least 10-12 Panchayats are connected to this. It connects at least 10 Panchayats and leads up to the Nepal border,' he added.

Meanwhile, in another incident in Bihar, a separation gap reportedly appeared in the Bisunpur-Mangalpur Gandak Bridge near the Bettiah-Gopalganj border area in West Champaran district, sparking fresh concerns over infrastructure safety in the state.

Earlier on May 4, Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav criticised the NDA government after a slab of the Vikramshila Setu collapsed in Bhagalpur.

In a statement, the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader blamed corruption for the incident and said the bridge, which had earlier been flagged as unsafe, collapsed without any loss of life due to luck.

The bridge, a key link between Bhagalpur and Seemanchal, remains closed to traffic.

Reports indicate that a 10-inch expansion joint first subsided, after which a slab near pier number 133 gave way and fell into the river. (ANI)