The new pontoon bridge parallel to the Mahatma Gandhi Setu is dangerous for commuters and the government will not be responsible for any mishap that occurs on it, the administration has said.

Deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who holds the road construction portfolio, inaugurated the bridge on the Hajipur end - under his Raghopur Assembly constituency in Vaishali district - on February 18. But in little over a month, the bridge has become unstable. The steel plate on the surface is damaged and the nuts and bolts holding it in place are coming loose.

Two days ago, the road construction department put up a notice in Hindi saying: "This pontoon bridge is dangerous for people on foot and those on two-wheelers. The Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Ltd (the nodal agency) will not be responsible for any mishap".

Since the pontoon bridge's inauguration last month, several people have been injured and an accident victim also died three days ago. But Tejashwi told The Telegraph today: "We have put up the notice as a precautionary measure because people ride bikes above the permissible speed limit (40kmph) on the bridge. As the surface is a steel plate, the bikes skid. People also overcrowd the bridge to reach the sandy area across for picnics, often leading to accidents."

The Opposition and residents have hit out at the government for running from its responsibilities.

Senior BJP leader and former road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav said: "The government is completely running away from its responsibilities. When the road construction department constructed the pontoon bridge, it has the responsibility to monitor movement of vehicles. If any big mishap takes place, the road construction department will be responsible."

Sunil Kumar, a resident of Patna City, also said: "The government has learned people and engineers on its payroll... why could they not foresee such a thing before constructing the bridge?"

Tejashwi disagreed the government was running from its job. "No, we are not running away from the responsibility," he told The Telegraph. "Despite our repeated requests, bikers are not paying heed to our instructions. So, finally we came up with the idea to put up the notice board."