NEW DELHI, July 4 (Xinhua) -- As bridges continue to collapse in India's eastern state of Bihar, a public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the country's top court seeking directions to the local government to undertake a structural audit of the remaining bridges.
Local media reports said at least 12 bridges have collapsed across Bihar in the past 17 days, with the latest incident occurring on Thursday in Saran district.
No casualties have been reported in these incidents.
The first bridge collapsed on June 18 in Araria and since then such incidents have been ongoing. In Siwan district alone, so far four bridges have collapsed.
Though the cause of bridge collapses has not been revealed, officials attribute heavy rains leading to increased water levels in water bodies and desilting works to the crumbling of these structures.
On Wednesday Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ordered a survey of all old bridges in the state to identify those requiring urgent repairs. Kumar also called for improved bridge maintenance policies from both the road construction and rural works departments.
Meanwhile, the PIL has raised concerns about the safety and longevity of the bridges in the state that witnesses heavy rains and floods during the monsoon period. ■
