Bihar, where 12 bridges crumbled in 20 days, a 'ghost bridge' rises from nowhere

Bihar, which saw 12 bridges collapsing over 20 days last year, now faces a curious case involving a bridge that seems to have appeared out of nowhere. This new bridge, spanning 60 feet in length and 10 feet in width, is situated over the Kari Kosi River in Rahmat Nagar, on the outskirts of Purnea district in Bihar.

According to the local residents, the construction of the bridge began in January. The bridge, if completed, would have connected the mainland near Kari Kosi to the floodplains, potentially making the flood-prone land more attractive to potential buyers. Both the authorities and the locals believe that the plan was to sell the flood-prone lands, mostly owned by farmers with no legal documents to prove ownership. They must have tried to promote it as developable property linked to the growing urban infrastructure in Purnea, including the nearby Purnea airport, The Indian Express reported.

The villagers suspect that the bridge was part of a land scam orchestrated by brokers looking to exploit the floodplains’ low property prices. According to these villagers, the land is frequently sold at a fraction of the cost compared to well-documented plots in the region, with some pieces of land going for just Rs 2 lakh per katha—far less than the going rate for documented land, which can fetch Rs 10 to 15 lakh per katha.

Among those who watched in despair as the bridge came up is Ramzani, 59, who lives in the nearby Bengali Basti, and does farming in the floodplains. He says the floodplains are underwater from May till winter, allowing a window for just one paddy crop a year. “There is no village or settlement there… it’s just farmland,” he says.

Mohammad Siraj, 52, also a paddy farmer, says: “We plant in January-February, and harvest by late April or early May, when the floods come and the whole area gets submerged… Even during the dry months, we have to wade through knee-deep water or use a tractor… What’s the point of a bridge to these plains? It will only ruin us.”

After the news of the bridge surfaced in the media, the district authorities took note of it, and instructed the Purnea Municipal Commissioner Kumar Mangalam to “investigate”.

On March 25, Mangalam ordered that the bridge be demolished within two days. But when officials went to the spot on March 27, he says, “Locals opposed the demolition, claiming it was a community effort.” The protesters, as per the villagers, made up a small group of around a dozen people.

“Whoever built the bridge didn’t seek the permission of the Municipal Corporation. We checked with the Water Resources Department, and they had not given approval either,” the Municipal Commissioner said.

However, despite the lack of approval, the authorities were hesitant to act immediately, mainly due to the bridge's location in a remote area not visible from any main roads, making it difficult for officials to detect it earlier.

Purnea Sadar Sub-Divisional Officer Parth Gupta said, “We are trying to identify who built the bridge and why.” According to a local resident, Vikas Jha, the why part is easy, with the under-construction Purnea airport boosting land prices in the area. The going rate for land with proper documents is Rs 10-15 lakh per katha (a local unit); for floodplains, where the farmers usually don’t own papers, land can be bought for Rs 2 lakh per katha.

According to Vikas Jha, most of the floodplain plots have been owned by families for generations. “They came from West Bengal 50-60 years ago and were settled on the floodplains by the Brahmgyani Estate landlords. They have stayed here ever since.” This is one reason the authorities are not pushing ahead with the demolition now. They will wait till Ram Navami to avoid any communal tension, he said.

In the meantime, the authorities are trying to determine whether the bridge lies on government or private land, while continuing to probe who was responsible for its construction and why it was built in the first place.