Bridge constructed over river in Bihar collapses, probe ordered
Begusarai (PTI): An inquiry has been ordered into the collapse of a yet-to-be-inaugurated bridge built over a river in Begusarai district of Bihar, which has brought the spotlight on sub-standard construction works in the state, an official said on Tuesday.
Begusarai District Magistrate Roshan Kushwaha said the bridge over Burhi Gandak, a portion of which gave way and crashed into the river in the early hours of Sunday, had developed cracks a few days earlier.
"The bridge, built at a cost of around Rs 13.48 crore, by a local construction company, was yet to be formally inaugurated. It was, however, in use by pedestrians, and plying of small vehicles was also allowed," the DM said.
Cracks were noticed on Friday in a portion that linked two pillars of the bridge following which plying of vehicles was suspended and the department concerned was sounded off, he said.
"Our worst fears came true on Sunday when the portion of the bridge crashed into the river. Thankfully, nobody suffered physical harm when the huge chunk fell into the river", Kushwaha said.
The incident has, however, resulted in great inconvenience to residents of Sahebpur Kamal block, who now have to take a boat ride or cover a distance of more than 20 kms, taking a circuitous route via the adjoining district of Khagaria.
"On Monday night, a team of RWD (rural works department), led by its engineer-in-chief, visited and inspected the site. They have ordered an inquiry, based on the report of which action will be taken," the DM said.
The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) headed by Chirag Paswan, one of the most strident critics of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, tagged the latter while sharing photographs of the caved-in bridge on its official Twitter handle.
"It was built for Rs 14 crore under the Mukhyamanti NABARD scheme. Had the Rs 14 crore been rightfully spent, the mishap would not have taken place", the party said in the tweet, indirectly referring to corruption.
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Assam to lift all cases against Koch Rajbongshis in Foreigners' Tribunals: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Guwahati, Apr 4 (PTI): The Assam cabinet has decided to lift all cases pending against people from the Koch Rajbongshi community in the Foreigners' Tribunals, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
They will also no longer carry the tag of 'D' or doubtful voters, he said.
''There are 28,000 cases pending in different Foreigners' Tribunals in the state against people of the community. The cabinet has taken a historic decision of lifting the cases with immediate effect,'' Sarma said at a press conference here after the cabinet meeting.
The government believes that the Koch Rajbongshis are an indigenous community of the state and they are an inextricable part of ''our social and cultural fabric'', he asserted.
The people of this community are poor and have suffered a lot over the years, he said.
''They will no longer carry the tag of foreigners or ‘D’ voters,'' the CM said.
Foreigners Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies, particularly in Assam, established to determine if a person residing in India is a "foreigner" as defined by the Foreigners Act of 1946, based on the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964.
These tribunals are designed to address matters related to citizenship and the presence of “foreigners” in India, specifically focusing on cases where someone is suspected of being an illegal immigrant.
There are 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals across Assam.
The Koch Rajbongshis have a sizeable presence in Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and parts of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, and they demand Scheduled Tribe status.
