Build to last

Maintaining structures as critical as building them

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The mounting death toll following the collapse of the Gambhira Bridge in Gujarat is a warning signal for India's massive infrastructure-construction agenda. It shows how infrastructure is often built in haste with minimum oversight on quality and then so poorly maintained that it becomes a safety hazard. The bridge was just 43 years old. But it had become dangerously dilapidated by 2022, with the pillars vibrating every time traffic passed over it. The poor condition of the bridge was flagged to the local Roads and Bridges (R&B) Department at least three years ago by panchayat and district officials. Worse, a testing report from the R&B in the same year also suggested that the bridge was unsafe, although the report was never made public. Instead, the bridge was opened again to the public after some minor tinkering.