A biker takes a fall riding through Sikandarpur in Muzaffarpur on Tuesday. Commuters faced a tough time taking this alternative route after traffic was disrupted owing to construction of two bridges.

The overbridge at Maripur that collapsed on November 27 last year is yet to be constructed, while the other over Budhi Gandak at Akharaghat has been closed for repair and strengthening work. “Schoolchildren are the worst sufferers. They have to cover an extra 5-km stretch filled with potholes to reach their destination,” said Suman Kumar, a resident of Balughat.

Cloth merchants of Suttapatti, the textile hub, too cursed the traffic bottleneck for a slump in their business. “Dealers from far-flung districts of north Bihar are reluctant to come owing to the increased traffic problems,” said Haji Hassan, the owner of Khadi Textile at Suttapatti.

Residents also came down heavily on the lack of the government’s preparedness in dealing with the shut overbridge. “The awareness of the administration to regulate traffic after shutting down Akharaghat Bridge from March 24 has exposed their hollow claims,” said Neeraj Badshah, a resident of Daudpur Kothi.

District magistrate Anupam Kumar said he had spoken to Sonepur divisional railway manager Rajesh Kumar Tiwary to execute work at a faster pace. Tiwary, however, said the construction work is on in full swing at Maripur.

The chairperson of Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited, Sanjeev Hans, said the repair and strengthening work of Akharaghat Bridge on Budhi Gandak has been launched on a war footing. “Engineers are at work at the site. Motorists would be allowed movement from April 2 and all vehicles would be allowed to pass over it after a fortnight,” he said. Text by Khwaja Jamal, picture by Lokesh Bihari