'Plea resembles shopping mall of reliefs': Supreme Court on plea on maintenance of roads, bridges, electric wiring

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to consider a plea seeking wide-ranging directions to ensure public safety through the maintenance of roads, bridges, electric wiring, and other infrastructure. The court said, the petition resembled a “shopping mall” of reliefs, with demands spanning from repairing potholes to completing unfinished bridges.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, while observing that it was not commenting on the merits of the matter, said, it was nearly impossible to issue directions that will be completely unmanageable unless the issues raised are specific.

“We decline to entertain this writ petition, leaving it open to the petitioner to approach the jurisdictional high court, if so advised, by way of an appropriately drafted petition," the bench said.

Thecourt said that the plea sought “sweeping directions, and that directions would have financial implications. The bench said the high courts are best suited to understand the finances of the states concerned.

The counsel asserted that people were losing their lives across the country due to the negligence of authorities.

The bench, however, asked the counsel, “You want us to run the entire country?”

"Your petition is as good as a showroom or a shopping mall. Right from repairing potholes, roads, finish the unfinished structures like bridges, everything is there. You name a relief on the earth, and everything is there in this," the bench said.

The plea sought a range of directions to the Centre and others to ensure public safety, including maintenance, routine inspection and regular auditing of public infrastructure, such as roads, bridges and electric wiring, among others.

It also urged for a direction to the authorities to constitute a high-level independent safety audit committee, comprising civil engineers, infrastructure experts, forensic investigators and representatives from civil society and human rights organisations, to conduct periodic safety and maintenance audits of public utilities and civic infrastructure across metropolitan and semi-urban regions.