Bihar saw 12 bridge collapses in just 17 days, the latest incident occurring in the Saran district on July 4. While the government cites de-siltation drives conducted in the rivers across the state and heavy rain as a possible contributing factor to the series of bridge failures in the state, the issue has been the strongest armour for the opposition parties to launch no-holds-barred attacks on the Nitish Kumar government alleging corruption and lack of action. Bihar is no stranger to bridge collapse incidents. The apathy continues to haunt the state government and the concerned authorities reflecting persistent challenges in infrastructure development and maintenance. brief history of bridge collapses in Bihar, Bhagalpur bridge collapse – About 14 months ago, Sattarghat bridge collapse – In July 2020, Saharsa bridge collapse – Three labourers were injured after a section of the bridge collapsed in Bihar’s Saharsa district in June 2022, British-era bridge collapse – A 136-year-old road bridge collapsed in the state capital Patna due to excessive rain, Nalanda bridge collapse – On November 18, 2022, Darbhanga bridge collapse – An iron bridge collapsed due to an overloaded truck in Bihar’s Darbhanga district on January 16, 2024, Purnia bridge collapse – An under-construction bridge in Bihar’s Purnia district collapsed four hours after concretisation on May 16, 2024. Bihar govt suspends 16 engineers.