Today, the Supreme Court issued a notice regarding a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that requests the Bihar government to conduct a comprehensive structural audit. The PIL also calls for the formation of a high-level expert committee to identify any potentially weak bridges that may require demolition or strengthening.

The bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, agreed to consider the matter and issued the following brief order:

The petition has been filed in response to reports of the recent collapse of at least nine bridges, including those under construction. According to the petition, these collapses raise significant concerns about the safety and reliability of bridge infrastructure in the region, particularly given that Bihar is the most flood-prone state in India.

The PIL seeks not only a structural audit but also the formation of a high-level expert committee. This committee would be responsible for conducting detailed examinations and continuous monitoring of all bridges to ensure their safety for public use. The PIL highlights multiple bridge collapses in river areas, including the Araria, Siwan, Madhubani, and Kishanganj districts.

"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. 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. Therefore the urgent intervention of this Hon'ble Court is required to save the lives of people, as the under-construction bridges before its accomplishment collapsed routinely," the petitioner said.

The petitioner called for real-time monitoring of the bridges using the methodology developed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, as outlined in its policy dated March 4, 2024, for the Preservation of National Highways and Centrally Sponsored Schemes.