Construction company involved in collapsed Bihar bridge also working on Gujarat projects

Ahmedabad: The recent collapse of an under-construction bridge in Bihar's Bhagalpur has raised concerns in Gujarat as the company is involved in two significant bridge projects in the state.

The collapsed bridge, being built by SP Singla Construction Pvt. Ltd., has prompted demands for thorough inspections of the Gujarat bridges by a third-party expert team before their inauguration.

SP Singla Construction Pvt. Ltd., a construction firm from Haryana, has been active in the construction industry for 27 years. The current board members and directors of the company are Sat Paul Singla, Prem Lata, Deepak Singla, Rohit Singla, and Nikita Gandhi. The company, registered at the Delhi Registrar's Office, operates from its corporate office in Haryana and is classified as a 'Company Limited by Share.'

In Gujarat, the construction firm has been awarded two significant projects. One is the Okha-Beyt Dwarka Signature Bridge, estimated at Rs 962 crore. The project involves the construction of a 3.73 km, four-lane cable-stayed signature bridge connecting Okha and Beyt Dwarka.

The other project is the Dabhoi-Sinor-Malsar-S Road Narmada River Bridge, with a length of 900m and a project cost of Rs 165 crore.

Both projects are nearing completion, and concerns have arisen following the bridge collapse in Bihar regarding the quality of bridges constructed by the company.

Not just this, even Atal Bridge in Ahmedabad inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had developed cracks, just seven months after it was opened to the public.

In April 2023, cracks were discovered in a glass base of the Atal Bridge in Ahmedabad prompting inspection by municipal corporation experts. The foot overbridge, connecting the east and west banks of the Sabarmati River, experienced spontaneous cracks in one of its eight glass pieces between Ellis Bridge and Sardar Bridge.