Tejashwi claims another bridge has collapsed in Bihar, official says makeshift structure damaged
Motihari (Bihar), Jul 7: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday claimed another bridge in Bihar has caved in, though an official concerned said it was a makeshift structure that got washed away in heavy rainfall.
Yadav, leader of the opposition in the state assembly, shared on his X handle a video of the incident that has taken place in East Champaran district.
In the clip, people can be heard blaming the use of spurious material for the incident in a village falling under the Madhuban block.
PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
District Magistrate Saurabh Jorwal said he was aware of the incident but asserted that it was "not a bridge, not even a causeway".
"A sewage line passes through Lohargawan village. Some parts of it were uncovered. As per the information we have, a decision was taken at the Panchayat level a few years back to erect a structure across the drain to help people cross it without difficulty", the DM told PTI over the phone.
Accordingly, the drain was covered with the makeshift structure, not more than a few feet long, he said.
"As is the case with such unregulated works, mud was used and hence it got washed away when heavy rains battered the area. Nonetheless, we are looking into the matter and will do, at our level, whatever is needed," added the district magistrate.
Notably, the incident comes in the backdrop of more than a dozen bridges and causeways collapsing in several Bihar districts in the last couple of weeks, prompting authorities to place under suspension at least 15 engineers, even though no casualties have taken place in such mishaps.
The bridge collapse incidents have also led to a political slugfest, with Yadav training his guns at the Nitish Kumar government, but the ruling NDA shifting the blame on RJD, pointing out that the Rural Works portfolio was with the party till it was ousted from power in January this year.
बिहार के पूर्वी चंपारण में आज फिर एक पुल और गिरा। सरकार थोड़े गिरी है जो खबर बनेगी?
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) July 7, 2024
बीते 𝟏𝟗 दिनों में यह 𝟏𝟑वाँ भ्रष्टाचारी पुल गिरा है। पुलिया, सड़क और बाँध टूटने एवं धँसने के तो मामले अनगिनत है। #Bihar
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Manipur: Mortal remains of children killed in bomb attack handed over to family
Imphal (PTI): The mortal remains of two children, who were killed in a bomb attack in Manipur's Bishnupur district in April, were handed over to family members on Saturday, officials said.
The bodies of the five-year-old boy and his six-month-old sister were kept in the morgue for 25 days, as the family members had refused to accept the mortal remains, demanding that the perpetrators be brought to book at the earliest.
On April 25, Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh had appealed to the family members of the children to accept the bodies. Singh had also said that all efforts were underway to find the culprits.
The two children were killed in a bomb attack at Tronglaobi in Bishnupur district on April 7. Their bodies were kept in the morgue at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal.
The incident had triggered widespread violent protests in the five valley districts of Manipur, and the case was subsequently handed over to the NIA.
Hundreds of people lined up along the way to Tronglaobi to offer floral tributes, as the mortal remains were taken for the last rites in an open vehicle earlier in the day.
