Supaul bridge collapse: Bihar Dy CM Sinha announces compensation for victims

Vijay Kumar Sinha. Pic/PTI

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for each injured after an under-construction bridge over the Koshi River, between Supaul and Madhubani districts in Bihar, collapsed earlier yesterday.

The Deputy Chief Minister also said that the central government has given clear directions to take care of all the medical requirements of the workers and conduct a fair investigation into the incident.

"I have just reviewed the bridge collapse. While lifting the segment, it fell injuring workers. 11 workers were injured out of which 10 are out of danger now and one of them unfortunately died. Compensation will be given to the injured and deceased worker, Rs 10 lakh to the deceased and 1 lakh each to the injured workers by the company. The situation is being monitored. The government of India has a clear direction to take care of all the medical requirements of the workers and also to conduct a fair investigation," Sinha told ANI.

The Bihar Deputy Chief Minister also said that he along with his team would personally meet the injured in the incident on Saturday.

The 10.2 km bridge over the Koshi River, linking Bakaur in the Supaul district to Bheja in the Madhubani district was being constructed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).

An eyewitness to the incident, Dharmendra Yadav said that "around ten to eleven people were working on the under-construction site when it collapsed, and when the bridge collapsed many suffered serious injuries."

The Bihar government announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased and Rs one lakh each for the injured.

"A part of the bridge had collapsed, in which one person has died and ten are injured. The injured are under treatment and are out of danger. Ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for the injured has been announced. We are trying to find out if more people are stuck with the help of cranes," Supaul District Magistrate Kaushal Kumar said.

Meanwhile, the Bihar government has reiterated that no leniency will be shown towards those found guilty of malpractice.

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