RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday jabbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the inauguration of the Aunta-Simaria Bridge on the Ganga River in Bihar, alleging corruption in the construction of bridges under the NDA government.
“In the public interest, my appeal to Prime Minister Modi ji is that he should not just cut the ribbon for the bridge four times but also ensure that a large statutory warning board is installed on both sides of the bridge, with bold letters stating: ‘Every person uses this bridge at their own risk because our NDA government holds the world record for bridge collapses, and every child in Bihar knows how much corruption, worth billions and crores, takes place in bridge construction under our government. In such a scenario, this bridge could collapse tomorrow, so please cross the bridge at your own responsibility.’” Yadav said on X.
On Friday, the Prime Minister inaugurated the 1.86-km-long Aunta-Simaria Bridge, constructed at a cost of over Rs 1,870 crore on National Highway 31.
The bridge will connect Mokama in Patna and Begusarai, officials said.
Bridge collapses have been frequent in Bihar and across the country in recent times.
In July, a bridge in Saharsa district of Bihar collapsed when an overloaded tractor was passing through it. This was the seventh bridge collapse in the state since May 2024.
In September 2024, a pillar of a small bridge subsided in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district, leading to the suspension of traffic on the structure.
Reacting to the incident, Tejashwi Yadav wrote on X, “Another bridge collapsed in Bhagalpur. In Nitish Kumar's regime, the roots of corruption are deep but the foundation of bridges is weak.”
“The state witnessed the collapse of several bridges, constructed at the cost of several crores, in the last 2-3 months. Have you ever heard the Chief Minister make a statement on the corruption in these falling bridges or has he ever taken any action against the big whale of corruption? After all, how will he do it? He is the one who has made the whale by feeding those small restless fish,” he added.
Along with the bridge, the Prime Minister launched development projects worth over Rs 13,000 crore in Bihar. After the inauguration, he stood on the bridge and waved his gamcha at crowds.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated 13.61 km of newly constructed metro lines in Kolkata on Friday and launched train services on three routes.
These included the Noapara-Jai Hind Bimanbandar section, the Sealdah-Esplanade section, and the Beleghata-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay section.