Steamer with Nitish onboard rams bridge pillar in Patna

Patna, Oct 15 (IANS) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reportedly suffered minor injuries after the steamer in which he was in rammed the pillar of JP Setu here on Saturday.

Nitish Kumar, along with officials, was inspecting the ghats of the Ganga ahead of the Chhath Puja. When the steamer reached the JP Setu near Digha, it collided with one of the pillars, as the helsman lost control of the vessel due to the higher level and speedier flow of water in the river.

However, the state Public Relations Department denied any collision.

In a press release, it said that there was a technical glitch in the steamer on which Nitish Kumar and the officials were on, and it had stalled in the middle of the Ganga. Another steamer was then sent to bring them back to the shore.

Nitish Kumar inspects all ghats of Patna more than three times every year. In Patna, there are 105 ghats from Danapur located on the western side to Malsalami in eastern side of the city.

Patna DM Chandrashekher Singh directed the authorities to submit reports about the preparation of Chhath Puja on the banks of the Ganga river.