'Bridge to nowhere' found in Bihar, probe ordered

The construction of a 35-foot bridge in an open field without any connecting road in Araria, Bihar, has drawn attention and led to the district administration requesting a report from the Rural Works department. According to officials, work began on a 2.5-km road in Parmanandpur village under the CM Gramin Sadak scheme.

However, the process of acquiring land from local farmers was incomplete. The bridge, intended to allow water passage, was built when land acquisition was finished, but the road construction was stalled due to pending land acquisition.

A Rural Works department official, who preferred anonymity, stated, “Instead of acquiring land and starting road construction first, the department constructed a 35-foot bridge on the acquired land while neglecting the project's overall rational execution.”

Villagers were puzzled by the bridge’s appearance. Krityanand Mandal, a resident, said, “This culvert was constructed about six months ago. We thought it could be part of some big project, but when no further work was done and there was no hint of any future planning either, we wanted to bring it to the government’s notice.”

Araria District Magistrate Inayat Khan has requested a detailed project report from the Rural Works department’s engineers to determine if the construction aligns with the project plan.