Bihar suspends 15 engineers over multiple bridge collapse incidents

The Bihar government on Friday suspended 15 engineers in connection with a series of recent incidents of bridge collapse in the state, a senior official said. The decision was taken after a probe panel submitted its report to the Water Resources Department (WRD). A total of 10 bridges collapsed in Siwan, Saran, Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran and Kishanganj districts in the past 17 days, officials said. The report found that the engineers were negligent and monitoring was ineffective, which is the main reason behind the collapse of small bridges and causeways in the state, Additional Chief Secretary of WRD, Chaitanya Prasad, told reporters here. Those suspended include four executive engineers. The Rural Works Department has also initiated the process of blacklisting the contractor who was involved in the construction of the bridge in Araria district. The department has also stopped payment of the contractor/firm for its previous work till the completion of the probe, said Dipak