Three cases of bridge collapse in a month raises alarm

INFRASTRUCTURE development is central to the Modi government’s roadmap for achieving its lofty goal — Viksit Bharat by 2047. The world’s fourth-largest economy is laying emphasis on building an infrastructure ecosystem that is sustainable, resilient and future-ready. Big-ticket projects pertaining to roads, bridges, railways, airports and waterways are aimed at enhancing connectivity as well as trade. However, three incidents of bridge collapse in less than a month indicate that everything is not hunky-dory on this front. Ten persons were killed after a portion of a four-decade-old bridge collapsed in Gujarat’s Vadodara district on Wednesday. Apparently, there were lapses in maintenance — despite telltale signs of structural decay, the bridge was neither closed nor repaired on priority. Last month, four persons died after an iron pedestrian bridge, which had been declared unsafe, gave way in Pune (Maharashtra); a newly repaired bridge fell apart in Assam’s Cachar district, and it was nothing but a miracle that no lives were lost.

There is definitely something rotten in the state of Gujarat, which has witnessed several such mishaps in the past five years or so. Bridges as well as flyovers — old, newly built or under-construction — have crumbled. More than 140 people were killed when the Morbi suspension bridge, which dated back to the British era, collapsed in October 2022 — just four days after it had been reopened following repairs. No lessons seem to have been learnt from that major tragedy. Public safety continues to take a back seat.

It’s convenient for the authorities to hold extreme weather events responsible for the damage or wear and tear. But what about the accountability of officials and contractors? Any compromise on construction, inspection or repair is a recipe for disaster. Gujarat must get its act together before more lives are snuffed out. Other states can afford to be complacent — but only at their own peril. And the Centre must realise that immediate course correction is no less important than long-term ambitions.

Editorials