Bridges on the brink: Tendering, design faulted for collapse

Road ministry officials say central bridge projects perform better than state ones due to stricter checks and balances

- DHRUVAKSH SAHA, AMRITHA PILLAY & DEEPAK PATEL

The main reasons for bridges, airports, tunnels, and irrigation barges collapsing or showing signs of distress in the past year are design flaws, poor tendering prioritising the lowest bidder, and a shortage of skilled engineers. This conclusion comes from ministry officials, industry executives, and infrastructure consultants.

Delhi Airport's Terminal 1 saw its canopy collapse on June 28, followed by a similar incident at Rajkot Airport in Gujarat a day later. At least six other cases of flooding or ceiling/canopy collapse have been reported at different airports over the past year.

In Bihar alone, over a dozen bridges have buckled like ninepins in a fortnight.

According to the road minister's reply to Members of Parliament last July, 21 bridges had been damaged over the past five years.

Some road ministry officials believe that central bridge projects perform better than state projects due to stricter checks and balances. They advocate for upgrading tendering and bid awarding processes in several states to prevent such issues.

Shivdutt Das, executive director of Vishwa Samudra Group, underscores the need to prioritise expertise over the lowest bidder in project awards. He says, "Being price competitive or the lowest bidder should not overshadow considerations of design and execution pedigree."