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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Badminton coach arrested for raping 16-year-old girl in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Apr 07 (PTI): A badminton coach was arrested for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl who was taking training from him, police said on Monday.
The matter came to light after the girl's grandmother found that the minor had sent some of her nude pictures from her (grandmother's) phone to an unknown number and she immediately alerted her parents, they said.
When confronted by her mother, the girl revealed that the coach had sexually abused her on multiple occasions under the guise of giving her additional training sessions and warned her against disclosing about it to anyone, police said.
According to the police, the victim's mother in a complaint stated that their daughter enrolled for badminton coaching at a sports centre here two years ago. The coach allegedly sexually abused and harassed her on multiple occasions. He even took her to his house where he sexually assaulted her.
After her class 10 exam, she went to her grandmother's house and that on March 30 she sent her nude photos from her grandmother's mobile phone to the coach on his insistence, the complainant alleged.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered against the coach, a native of Tamil Nadu, under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and he was arrested in the case on Thursday, a senior police officer said.
During interrogation, the accused confessed that he had sexually abused the girl on multiple occasions and that he had taken her nude photos which were also found on his phone. Nude photos of other girls were also found on his phone, the officer said.
