Build to last: Maintaining structures is as critical as building them

But the tragedy is not an exception. Last year, the government admitted that 42 major and minor bridges collapsed in the past five years

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