Patna, Oct. 14: The high court today gave a month’s time to the Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) chairman to file a reply to a showcause specifying the steps to be taken to improve its dilapidated infrastructure, particularly the high-tension wires, to prevent any accident and loss of human lives.

A division bench of Justice T. Meena Kumari and Justice Vikash Jain passed the direction while hearing a PIL filed by 20 people of Bettiah and Raxaul who had come to court seeking direction to the board to improve the situation.

The court posted the matter for hearing on November 15.

S.D. Sanjay, the counsel for petitioners, submitted that the incidents of people and cattle falling easy prey to live electric wires have become the order of the day. Such accidents keep on happening in Bettiah (West Champaran headquarters) and Raxaul owing to dilapidated condition of the wires, which snap every now and then.

The same division bench today asked the Danapur railway station manager to ensure that valid passengers only get to utilise waiting and retiring rooms.

While acting on the lawyer’s report, the court asked the Danapur railway station manager to ensure that waiting or retiring rooms at the station is utilised only by genuine ticket travellers and any police personnel who are utilising the same without permission must be restricted from doing so.

The court has fixed November 15 as the next date when the court would take up the matter for hearing and would pass orders for other railway stations, if required.