![[Bihar Bridge Collapse] "Last Opportunity for State Govt. to Reply on PIL": CJI Sanjiv Khanna](https://i0.wp.com/lawchakra.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/image-55-1.png?fit=321%2C157&ssl=1)
CJI Sanjiv Khanna stated that the Bihar government has been given the “last opportunity” to respond to the PIL concerning bridge collapses in the state. The Supreme Court has granted the government six weeks to submit its reply. The court emphasized the urgency of addressing the issue. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) was also directed to provide a response.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has given the Bihar government a final opportunity to respond to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the safety and durability of bridges in Bihar, following a series of recent collapses.
A bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar requested responses from the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) as well.
The court noted that notices had been issued to relevant authorities on July 29.
The bench stated,
“The Bihar government is granted six weeks to file the response. This is the last opportunity,”
Adding that the petitioner, lawyer Brajesh Singh, would need to submit a rejoinder four weeks after the authorities respond.
The case scheduled for hearing on February 15, 2025.
Previously, the petitioner sought permission to introduce various news reports and documents that illustrate the deteriorating state of bridges in Bihar. The court already called for responses from the Bihar government and NHAI regarding the PIL, which raised alarms over bridge safety after multiple collapses occurred in recent months. Singh filed an interim application on November 14 to submit 15 news articles about the poor condition of bridges in the state.
He cited a tragic incident in Nalanda district, where an 18-year-old boy died after falling from a dilapidated bridge, and noted that despite the notices issued in July, neither the state government nor the NHAI responded. Singh also mentioned that a bridge under construction collapsed in Darbhanga district on November 3, with the associated company allegedly removing debris under the cover of night.
The PIL calls for a structural audit of bridges and the establishment of an expert panel to assess which bridges should be reinforced or demolished based on findings. The Supreme Court has also sent notices to key officials in the road construction department and the Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited.
Ten bridge collapses reported across various districts in Bihar during May, June, and July, with many attributing the incidents to heavy rainfall. The PIL expresses concern over the safety of bridges in a state that frequently experiences severe monsoon flooding.
It urges the formation of a high-level expert panel and real-time monitoring of bridge conditions in line with guidelines from the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Singh emphasized that Bihar is India’s most flood-prone state, with 73.06% of its area affected by floods.
Calling for urgent intervention to protect the public, especially as under-construction bridges have been collapsing with alarming frequency, the plea stated,
“Therefore, such routine occurrences of bridge collapses in Bihar are catastrophic, endangering lives,”
In response to the situation, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar directed a survey of all old bridges to identify those requiring immediate repairs.
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