Public interest litigation on collapsed bridges in Bihar in Supreme Court, know what the petitioner said to the court
1. SC agrees to hear PIL on safety and durability of bridges in Bihar
2. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has sought response from Bihar government and other concerned bodies
3. The petition has requested for structural audit and formation of expert committee
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider listing for hearing a petition in which concerns have been raised about the safety and durability of bridges in Bihar after the collapse of several bridges in recent months. A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Mishra had sought response from the Bihar government, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and other concerned bodies on the PIL on July 29 this year.
Petition regarding collapsed bridges in Bihar
On Monday, petitioner's lawyer Brajesh Singh mentioned this petition for hearing. The Chief Justice said, 'I will look into it.' Justice Chandrachud wanted to know whether an e-mail has been sent to his office in this regard. In this PIL, a request has been made to direct to conduct a structural audit and constitute an expert committee, which will identify those bridges which can either be strengthened or demolished based on its findings.
Supreme Court has issued notice to Bihar government
The apex court has issued notice to the Bihar government and NHAI as well as the Additional Chief Secretary of the Road Construction Department, Chairman of Bihar State Bridge Construction Corporation Limited and Additional Chief Secretary of Rural Works Department. During May, June and July this year, ten incidents of bridge collapse were reported in Siwan, Saran, Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran and Kishanganj districts of Bihar. Many people claim that these incidents occurred due to heavy rains.
How did the bridges collapse in Bihar?
The PIL has expressed concern over the safety and durability of bridges in view of the heavy rainfall and floods usually occurring in Bihar during the monsoon. Apart from forming a high-level expert committee, the petition also demands real-time monitoring of bridges as per the parameters set by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.