The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice on a petition seeking directions to the State of Bihar for the constitution of a high-level expert committee to conduct a thorough structural audit and identify any weak bridges that might need to be demolished or strengthened.
The Bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra agreed to hear the PIL that mentioned the collapse of at least nine bridges, including under-construction ones in Bihar, in recent times.
The Apex Court passed a brief order, granting liberty to serve notice to the standing counsel of Bihar.
The PIL sought directions to the Bihar government for the formation of a high-level expert committee, which would be responsible for a detailed examination and continuous monitoring of all the bridges to ensure their safety for public use.
It contended that the recent incidents of bridge collapse, especially around river areas in districts such as Araria, Siwan, Madhubani and Kishanganj districts of Bihar, raised significant concerns about the safety and reliability of bridge infrastructures.
The total flood-affected area in Bihar was 68,800 sq km, which was 73.06 percent of the total geographical area, making it the most flood-prone state of the country, noted the plea.
The PIL sought urgent intervention of the top court of the country on the grounds that due to such routine accrual of the bridge collapse incidents, lives of people at large were at stake in Bihar.
The petitioner sought real-time monitoring of the bridges based on the same methodology developed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India through its policy dated March 4, 2024, for the preservation of National Highways and Centrally-sponsored schemes.