Hearing a PIL filed by one Arun Kumar Mukherjee seeking improvements in civic amenities, a division bench comprising Justices B P Singh and Naresh Kumar Sinha had directed the state government to clear all encroachments.

This didn't happen prompting the judges today to remark: ``The situation is quite alarming. The administration and authorities in Bihar are continuously ignoring the directives of this court...We sound a note of caution and remind the authorities that the state machinery must function under the Constitution and Constitutional orders must be obeyed.''

Looking angry, the judges directed the government to implement the court's order within two weeks and in an unprecedented move, ordered the District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police of all districts to ensure that encroachments arecleared.

The judges said the SPs and DMs should file reports on the compliance of the order and these would be checked by the district judges. If the reports are found to be false, the judges said, or if their order isn't implemented, the officers will be ``prosectuted and sent to jail.''

The court had even directed the government to ensure that ``beacon lights'' aren't used on cars. The judges said that often ``criminals and anti-socials'' were using these lights to get away.

``The people of Bihar are living the lives of animals,'' the judges said, ``and there is no one to ameliorate their condition. This is a horrible state of affairs.''