SC issues notice to Bihar govt over plea on bridge collapse incidents

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Bihar government on a petition seeking to issue directions to the state government to conduct the highest level of structural audit of all existing and under-construction bridges in the state and to demolish or retrofit weak structures depending on feasibility in the wake of the collapse of bridges in the state.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud asked the Bihar government and other concerned respondents to file a reply to the petition.

The court was hearing the petition filed by the petitioner and advocate, Brajesh Singh, who has urged the top court to issue directions to the Bihar government to conduct the highest level of structural audit of all existing bridges and under construction bridges in the state and to demolish or retrofit weak structures depending of feasibility.

The petitioner said that the instant issue of bridge collapses in Bihar requires urgent consideration of the top court itself. Within two years, three major under-construction bridges and other incidents of the collapse of large, medium and small bridges also happened, wherein some people succumbed and others were injured in the said unfortunate man-made incidents and any day the major incidents of loss to human lives as well loss to public exchequer can happen due to the gross negligence of the government and corrupt nexus of the contractors and concerned agencies.

"It is a matter of grave concern that in a state like Bihar, which is the most flood-prone state of India, the total flood affected area in the state is 68,800 sq. km., which is 73.06 per cent of the total geographical area of the state and hence such routine accrual of the incident of falling bridges in Bihar is more disastrous as the lives of people at large are at stake and therefore the urgent intervention of this Hon'ble Court is required to save the lives of people at large who are in the present living in the uncertainty, as the under-construction bridges before its accomplishment got collapsed routinely," a petitioner said.

The petitioner has also sought "appropriate direction, specifically the State of Bihar, for making proper policy or mechanism for real-time monitoring of the bridges constructed, old and under construction with regard to the bridges falling exclusively under the domain of the respondent, state of Bihar on the same analogy as developed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, vide dated March 4 2024 for preservation of National Highways and Centrally Sponsored Schemes and it was issued as an mandatory guideline vide, subjected, "identification and implementation of real-time health monitoring of bridges using sensors" to the states including the respondent."

The petitioner has also sought to issue direction to respondents, specifically the State of Bihar for making an efficient permanent body through legislation or executive order, comprising high level expert from the concerned field for continuous monitoring of all the existing and under construction bridges in the State of Bihar and also for maintaining a comprehensive database on the health of all existing bridges in the state.

The Public Interest Litigation has highlighted various bridge collapses, mostly river bridges, in Bihar state in the districts Araria, Siwan, Madhubani, and Kishanganj, among others.