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SpotGenie Gyaan: Bridge Collapses & Safety Gaps in India (2025)

From Gujarat’s Gambhira to Pune’s Kundmala: SpotGenie examines bridge collapses in India, structural safety gaps, regulatory failures & how SpotGenie can help travellers stay alert.

Pratik Kamble

05 Oct 2025 — 4 min read

Bridge Collapses & Safety Gaps in India (2025)

SpotGenie Gyaan: Bridge Collapses & Safety Gaps in India (2025 Review)

1. Recent Bridge Collapses: Case Studies & Lessons

Bridge failures are tragic reminders of neglected infrastructure. Two high-profile incidents in 2025 underline how lapses cost lives:

Gambhira Bridge, Gujarat (July 2025) A portion of the 43-year-old Gambhira bridge over the Mahisagar River collapsed on 9 July 2025. Multiple vehicles, including trucks and vans, plunged into the river. At least 10 people died, and several others were rescued or remain missing. Engineers from the state R&B department were suspended following the collapse.
Kundmala Bridge, Pune (June 2025) On 15 June 2025, the main iron span of the Kundmala footbridge (over the Indrayani River) collapsed. Initial reports said at least 2 people died, 32 were injured (6 in critical condition). Later investigations and local news pointed to 4 deaths and 51+ injuries. Delays in work orders and administrative lapses have been cited as causes.
Morbi suspension-bridge collapse (Gujarat), Oct 2022 The Morbi bridge disaster (2022) remains the most severe recent example: a pedestrian suspension bridge collapse killed more than 130 people The tragedy exposed gaps in licensing, private-operation oversight, and crowd management.
Mizoram Railway Bridge Collapse (2023, for broader context) In August 2023, an under-construction railway bridge near Sairang, Mizoram, collapsed, killing 26 workers. This underscores that even rail infrastructure is vulnerable.

These are not isolated. Between 2021 and 2025, India recorded ~170 bridge-collapse incidents causing 202 deaths. States like Bihar, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh led in counts (26, 25, 17, respectively).

2. Root Causes & Safety Gaps in Bridge Infrastructure

This section explores systemic factors behind collapses.

2.1 Aging Structures & Material Deterioration

Many bridges in India are decades old. Over time, materials such as steel and concrete degrade, especially under harsh weather, high loading, or lack of maintenance. In the Gambhira case, locals had warned about visible cracks long before the collapse. A study (1977–2017) noted that of 2,130 bridge failures in India, ~80.3% were due to natural disasters (flood, extreme weather), ~10.1% due to material deterioration, and ~3.28% due to overloading.

2.2 Overloading & Unauthorized Use

Bridges often see loads beyond design limits: heavy trucks, unauthorized traffic, or surges during festivals. The Morbi bridge collapse in 2022 was heavily blamed on overloading beyond its retrofit capacity.

2.3 Neglected Inspections & Poor Oversight

Routine inspections are either inadequate, delayed, or superficially recorded. In Pune’s Kundmala case, delays in issuing new work orders and administrative inertia are already under scrutiny. In Gujarat, four R&B engineers were suspended for their roles after the Gambhira collapse.

2.4 Environmental & Hydrological Stress

Flooding, river scour (erosion of foundations), monsoon deluge, seismic stress, these natural forces exacerbate existing weaknesses. Bridges over river courses are particularly vulnerable during heavy rains or flash floods.

2.5 Lack of Accountability & Delayed Action

Warnings or audits that detect cracks or stresses often go unheeded. In many states, sanctioning agencies, PWDs, R&B departments, and local bodies share unclear responsibilities, resulting in blame games.

3. Consequences & Impacts of Bridge Failures

3.1 Loss of Life, Injury & Trauma

Tragedies like Gambhira (≥ 10 lives) and Pune (≥ 2 to 4) show how failure can occur suddenly. The Morbi collapse in 2022 killed ~141 people.

3.2 Disrupted Connectivity & Economies

Collapsed bridges sever trade & daily commutes, forcing long detours, hurting supply chains, access to medical care, schools, etc.

3.3 Erosion of Public Trust & Fiscal Waste

Each collapse invites public outcry, legal cases, reputational damage. Repair or rebuild costs often exceed original budgets.

3.4 Legal & Administrative Fallout

Suspensions, probes, litigation follow. In Gujarat, four engineers were suspended post-Gambhira. In Pune, the minister has fired responsibility at lower levels for delays.

4. Reforms, Innovations & What’s Being Done

4.1 Strengthening Inspection Regimes

States are ordering safety audits of existing bridges. After Gambhira, ~1,800 bridges in Gujarat were inspected, of which 20 were closed fully and 113 partially for heavy vehicles.

4.2 Use of Better Materials & Design Standards

Advances include corrosion-resistant steel, high-performance concrete, seismic design codes, and use of sensors and health monitoring systems.

4.3 Real-Time Monitoring (IoT / Structural Health Monitoring)

Smart sensors to detect stress, strain, crack propagation, vibrations, and tilt. These systems can flag anomalies early.

4.4 Legal & Accountability Mechanisms

Transparent ownership of bridges, mandatory reporting, independent oversight bodies, and swift legal consequences for negligence.

4.5 Public Transparency & Citizen Reporting

Portals where citizens can report visible damage, cracks, displacement. Public dashboards of audit status.

5. What Users & Authorities Should Watch Next

- Monitor outcomes of probes into Gambhira and Kundmala collapses - Check if suspended engineers are prosecuted or reinstated - Watch for rollouts of sensor-based health monitoring on bridges - Demand transparency: bridge audit reports, closure notices, repairs timelines - Encourage integration: state transport / PWD data with apps like SpotGenie

6. India’s bridge engineering marvels, a short salute

Before we close on reforms, it’s worth recognising India’s engineering capability. Landmark projects show what Indian engineering achieves when design

Chenab Rail Bridge (Reasi, J&K), the world’s highest railway arch bridge (arch deck ~359 m above the river). The Chenab was inaugurated and opened for traffic in June 2025 and demonstrates advanced arch construction and cold-weather design for Himalayan terrain.
Atal Setu / Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL, "Atal Setu"), a long sea-link (21–22 km) opened in 2024/2025, connecting Mumbai and Navi Mumbai and representing one of India’s longest sea bridges and large urban link projects. It reduced travel times and unlocked new connectivity for the megaregion.
Dhola–Sadiya (Bhupen Hazarika) Bridge (Assam), among India’s longest river bridges, improving strategic connectivity in the northeast.
Bogibeel Bridge (Assam), India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge, designed with seismic resilience and strategic redundancy for troop and logistics movement.
Bandra–Worli Sea Link (Mumbai), an urban cable-stayed symbol of modern Mumbai infrastructure and early adopter of seismic arresters and complex marine foundations.

These projects are engineering achievements: long spans, seismic design, and novel construction methods. They show that India can build world-class bridges, which makes the recurrence of avoidable collapses all the more urgent to fix.

7. Conclusion

Bridge collapses are not just engineering failures, they reflect systemic neglect, weak oversight, and flawed accountability frameworks. India’s recurring tragedies (Gambhira, Kundmala, Morbi) call for urgent reforms in inspection, design, maintenance, and citizen oversight. Travel is a shared public concern. AsSpotGenie, SpotGenie will keep empowering you with alerts, awareness, and real-time route safety. Let’s push for a future where bridges stay standing, and travellers stay safe.