“A detailed chart regarding the location and life of the bridges shall also be placed on record so that effective monitoring of bridge safety is considered and implemented in a planned manner by the State Government,” the order said
Lucknow: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Thursday expressed concerns over the structural safety of bridges in UP after the government informed 82 bridges in the state were unsafe yet operational for time being.
A division bench comprising Justice A R Masoodi and Justice A K Srivastava, while hearing a PIL filed by Gyanendra Pandey, directed the state government to submit a detailed affidavit within two weeks.
“The affidavit must specify the exact locations of these 82 unsafe bridges and provide the composition of the committee that conducted the structural study and deemed them unsafe,” it said.
Pandey raised concerns about the age and safety of a number bridges in the state, arguing that many were old enough to warrant a comprehensive safety study and potential restrictions on their use.
During a previous hearing, the bench emphasised the need for a comprehensive response from the state regarding bridge maintenance and requested a detailed plan if one was not already in place.
In response, the state counsel informed the court that Uttar Pradesh has approximately 2,800 bridges.
A statewide structural study revealed 82 of these bridges were found to be unsafe but the counsel appearing for the state assured the bench that though operational as of now, the bridges were under its active consideration and alternative arrangements would be made at the earliest.
The bench, however, deemed the information insufficient and directed the state to file a counter affidavit specifying details.
“A detailed chart regarding the location and life of the bridges shall also be placed on record so that effective monitoring of bridge safety is considered and implemented in a planned manner by the State Government,” the order said.
The next hearing would happen after two weeks.