The recent collapse of the Mahisagar River Bridge in Vadodara, which tragically claimed the lives of 20 people, underscores the growing concern over India's infrastructure quality.
Gujarat (2022): The Morbi suspension bridge collapse, which killed 135 people, drew national attention to the state of infrastructure. The bridge, poorly maintained and insufficiently checked, fell into disrepair before the tragedy.
Maharashtra: The Palava Bridge on the Kalyan-Shil Road had to be shut down just two hours after it opened, due to structural defects. Similarly, the Pune Pedestrian Bridge over the Indrayani River collapsed under the weight of tourists.
Assam (June 2025): Harang Bridge collapsed when overloaded trucks crossed during heavy rain, cutting off Barak Valley from Tripura, Mizoram, and Manipur.
Madhya Pradesh: The Aishbagh rail overbridge in Bhopal, which had an unsafe 90-degree turn, faced public outrage for posing a serious hazard.
Bihar (2024): The state saw at least 12 bridges collapse in 20 days. The Bichli Pul collapse over the Gandak River in 2025 isolated 80,000 residents.
These incidents show a disturbing trend of poor quality and lack of maintenance in critical infrastructure across India.
Contractor mafias and kickbacks often lead to the use of cheap, poor-quality materials in major infrastructure projects, all for higher profit margins.
Ghost projects, especially in states like Bihar, see funds misused or diverted, resulting in unsafe and incomplete structures. For example, in Purnea, a bridge was built illegally as part of a land scam.
Old bridges, such as those in Morbi and over the Indrayani River, suffer from neglect. There is often no inspection or reinforcement to maintain their integrity.
Overloading, as witnessed in Assam’s Harang Bridge, occurs when heavy vehicles are allowed to cross unchecked, leading to structural collapse.
Poor planning and unsafe design choices, such as the Aishbagh rail overbridge in Bhopal, result in hazardous infrastructure.
Lack of oversight and technical review in the planning and execution phases contribute to flaws in bridge construction.
Failure to hold contractors and officials accountable after major disasters, like the Morbi collapse, ensures that such incidents are often repeated. Without strong accountability, unsafe infrastructure continues to be a problem.
In states like Assam and Bihar, floods and river erosion weaken bridge foundations, and there is often little preventive action taken to strengthen infrastructure in flood-prone areas.
Rushed inaugurations (such as the Palava Bridge) often happen when projects are not completed or fully tested, putting public safety at risk. Political interference leads to compromised construction standards and bypassing necessary safety checks.
India boasts the world’s second-largest road network, with National Highways extending to 1,46,145 km as of 2024. This is a significant achievement, given the country's vast geography and population.
India’s first bullet train project, aimed to run at 280 km/h, is expected to be completed by 2026. The railways have also seen a reduction in major accidents over the last decade.
India is now the third-largest domestic aviation market in the world. The number of operational airports has increased from 74 in 2014 to 157 by 2024, and millions of passengers have benefited from the UDAN scheme.
India is working to become one of the top five shipbuilding nations by 2047. Major projects like the Galathea Bay mega port and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor are underway.
The metro network has grown from 248 km in 2014 to 945 km in 2024, connecting 21 cities and serving over 1 crore daily commuters. Notable projects, such as the Namo Bharat train on the Delhi-Meerut RRTS, strengthen regional connectivity.
The Parvatmala Pariyojana aims to develop around 60 km of ropeway projects by FY 2024-25, boosting tourism and transportation in hilly regions.
PM Gati Shakti Scheme: Aimed at integrated and seamless connectivity.
Bharatmala Scheme: Focusing on highway development and improving road connectivity.
National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP): Aims to develop infrastructure across the country.
Sagarmala Project: Focuses on improving port connectivity and maritime infrastructure.
Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN): Promotes regional air connectivity, making air travel affordable for the masses.
Independent audits should be mandatory for major infrastructure projects, particularly bridges and highways. Institutions like IITs could carry out these audits, ensuring that poor construction practices are identified before completion.
Blockchain technology can be adopted to track funds in real time, preventing corruption and embezzlement.
The use of high-quality materials, like fiber-reinforced polymers and corrosion-resistant alloys, should be prioritized, especially in flood-prone areas like Assam and Bihar.
AI and IoT-based sensors can be deployed for real-time monitoring of bridge health, detecting cracks, overloading, and stress before structural failures occur.
Proactive maintenance should be prioritized, with a fixed percentage of capital expenditure allocated specifically for Operations and Maintenance (O&M).
States should implement structured maintenance policies like Bihar’s Bridge Maintenance Policy 2025, which mandates IIT audits and sensor-based monitoring of bridges.
The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan should be fully utilized to ensure data-driven and integrated planning for infrastructure projects.
AI tools should be deployed to predict future needs, optimize logistics, and identify bottlenecks in infrastructure.
Increase public capital expenditure while promoting Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) for long-term project sustainability.
Encourage funding through municipal bonds, green bonds, and blended finance to attract institutional investments for infrastructure development.
India’s infrastructure development is marked by a paradox: while the country has made remarkable progress in areas like highways, metros, and aviation, recurring bridge collapses and other infrastructure failures expose deep flaws in quality control, maintenance, and accountability. To ensure the safety and sustainability of future infrastructure, India must reform its approach to planning, construction, maintenance, and oversight.
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Every aspirant is unique and the mentoring is customised according to the strengths and weaknesses of the aspirant.
In every Lecture. Director Sir will provide conceptual understanding with around 800 Mindmaps.
We provide you the best and Comprehensive content which comes directly or indirectly in UPSC Exam.
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