Deputy chief minister Tejaswi said on Thursday that the Centre and not the state should be blamed should anything happen to Gandhi Setu.

He accused the Centre of neglecting Bihar's demand for funds to repair the bridge and said he would send Union minister Nitin Gadkari a reminder soon.

Tejaswi, also the road construction minister, had met Gadkari at Transport Bhavan in New Delhi on December 30, to discuss and seek funds for several road projects including Gandhi Setu. "Gadkari ji had promised that repair of Gandhi Setu would start soon. He also said he would send a team to prepare a detailed project report and check alignment of the proposed new bridge parallel to Gandhi Setu," Tejaswi said. "He had specifically mentioned that a team from Delhi would visit Patna in a week to explore options with the state road construction department. Forget the new bridge, nothing has been done to repair Gandhi Setu."

During the December 30 meeting, Tejaswi had handed over details and a chart of pending projects in Bihar and sought Rs 970 crore that the state spent on repairing national highways. On Thursday, he pointed out that a bridge over the Mandovi river in Goa, built with the same technology as Gandhi Setu, had collapsed. "The Setu needs urgent repair," Tejaswi said. I do not understand why the Centre is not taking any interest. I have decided to send a reminder to Gadkari ji, categorically stating that we should not be blamed should the Setu suffer any damage."

He expressed disappointment that the Centre has not taken any steps even after a feasibility report from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) suggested repair of the Setu with a steel structure at a cost of Rs 2,800 crore.

"The state government has decided to construct a six-lane bridge over the Ganga from Kachchi Dargah to Biddupur," Tejaswi said. "The Centre has announced construction of a parallel bridge over the Ganga but it will take at least 4-5 years. We cannot wait for that long. Should Gandhi Setu ever collapse, the Centre will be responsible, not Bihar. I reminded Gadkari ji of the same during a telephone conversation two weeks back, but nothing concrete has taken place so far. I will write to him within the next two days."

Repair work is on on the western flank of the 44th span of Gandhi Setu. One side of the bridge is thus blocked and vehicles are found crawling on the Setu because of the traffic jam that ensues. Gandhi Setu is part of National Highway 19. Latest figures say over 85,000 vehicles pass through the 5.575-km-long bridge daily, it being the main link between Patna and north Bihar. The western flank of Gandhi Setu was opened to the public in 1982 and the eastern flank in 1987.