New Delhi, April 2 (HS): The Supreme Court has transferred a petition demanding an investigation into the increasing incidents of bridge collapses in Bihar to the Patna High Court. The bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna stated that the Patna High Court could monitor the structural audit of bridges in Bihar on a monthly basis.

This petition was filed by Advocate Brijesh Singh. The petition sought an order for conducting a structural audit of the government construction of both existing and recently built small and large bridges in Bihar. It also requested directions for demolishing or reconstructing weak structures. Additionally, the petition called for the establishment of a permanent body, such as a committee, for the safety of bridges in Bihar.

The petition mentioned incidents over the past two years of two large bridges and several small and medium ones falling down or collapsing immediately after construction. It stated that Bihar is a flood-affected state, with 68,800 square kilometers, or 73.6 percent of the state’s area, being severely affected by floods, which needs to be addressed.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar