Gandhi Setu - the lifeline that connects north and south Bihar - has turned out to be no one's baby.

Ever since the Centre said it would repair the dilapidated bridge by replacing its superstructure with a steel frame, the road construction department has stopped maintaining it. At several places on the bridge, potholes made commuting bouncy. Commuters termed the bridge ride dangerous because iron rods are visible beneath the black top layer of the bridge.

On June 22, the Union cabinet had approved renovation of the Setu at an estimated cost of Rs 1,742.01 crore.

After that, the road construction department, which is responsible for its maintenance to keep the road motorable, stopped looking after the bridge. The Centre provides the funds to maintain the Setu. It's been three months that no maintenance has been carried out by the road construction department.

Vinod Kishlay (50), who travels to Muzaffarpur regularly for business purposes while crossing Setu, said: "With every passing day, travelling on the Gandhi Setu is becoming dangerous because of its potholes. In the past few months, the condition of the Setu has gone from bad to worse as the potholes seem bigger now."

Patna resident Mukesh Agrahari (45) said because of the condition, he was stuck in the jam for hours because vehicles crawl on the bridge. "Certain portions of the bridge have already been shut. The rest has become miserable. The night traffic is made worse by heavy vehicles," said Agrahari.

On the lack of maintenance, executive engineer of national highway division of the road construction department, Sunil Kumar Singh, said: "Maintenance stopped because of funds problem, but it will surely start today (Thursday)."