The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to Bihar government and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on a PIL addressing concerns about the safety and durability of bridges in the state following several collapses in recent weeks.
A bench of CJI D Y Chandrachud along with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra sought responses from the state government and other parties on the PIL, which called for a structural audit and the formation of an expert panel to identify bridges that need either strengthening or demolition based on its findings.
In addition to the state and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the top court also issued notices to the additional chief secretary of the Road Construction Department, the chairperson of Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Ltd, and the additional chief secretary of the rural works department.
Over the past four weeks, ten incidents of bridge collapses have been reported across Bihar’s Siwan, Saran, Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran, and Kishanganj districts. Many attribute these incidents to heavy rainfall.
The PIL, filed by advocate Brajesh Singh, highlighted concerns about the safety and longevity of bridges in a state that experiences frequent floods and heavy rains during the monsoon season. The PIL called for the establishment of a high-level expert panel and real-time monitoring of the bridges according to the parameters set by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
The petitioner emphasized that Bihar, being the most flood-prone state in India with 68,800 square km of its total geographical area affected by floods, faces a dire situation. The petitioner noted that the frequent collapse of under-construction bridges poses significant risks to public safety and urgently requires court intervention.
In response to the incidents, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has instructed the road construction and rural works departments to survey all old bridges in the state and identify those requiring immediate repair.
