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Maharashtra has 35K bridges and their upkeep poses nightmarish challenge

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3 years ago

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Maharashtra has a stupendous 35,000-plus big and small bridges on roads in village, towns, cities, state or national highways, posing mind-boggling challenges for their regular upkeep and maintenance, with multiple agencies involved, but recording barely 100 structures crashing since 2000, top officials said.

As per government data, under the state’s Public Works Department (PWD) jurisdiction, there are 146 small, 105 big and five long bridges (total 256) from the pre-Independence era, some dating back to over 350 years and still functional.

In the post-Independence era, the state recorded massive development since 1957, with around 16,000 small, 2100 big and 100 long (total 18,200) bridges being constructed.

Besides, there are some 12,000, including 2,000 major bridges, on the national highways crisscrossing the state, an estimated 4,000 (total 16,000) in various civic bodies’ jurisdictions, like some 450-odd in Mumbai, not counting another huge number of bridges on the railway networks.

Despite the huge numbers of bridges, in the past 22 years, barely around 100 medium or small have crashed – 75 percent of them comprising masonry design and the rest raft design – in different parts of the state.

The worst crash was the washout of 106-year-old British-era masonry bridge on the heavily-flooded Savitri River near Mahad in Ratnagiri on August 2, 2016, which swept away two ST buses and around 10 other private vehicles with the death toll touching 40.

There have been other smaller crashes in Mumbai and other parts of the state in the past two decades though with lesser casualties or fatalities.

As per Indian Road Congress (IRC) norms, a “small bridge” spans 06-60 metres, a “big bridge” is 60-200 metres and a “long bridge” is 200 metres plus and can go upto a few kms in length, each posing unique challenges for their upkeep and safety.

These bridges comprise a variety of designs, architecture styles and materials depending on their location, whether linking hills, mountains, passing over rivers, streams, drains (nullah), creeks, the sea (the Rajiv Gandhi Bandra Worli Sea Link or the upcoming Mumbai Trans Harbour Link), flyovers, road over-bridge, foot over-bridge, etc.

“There are prescribed SOPs for checks, routine, pre-monsoon and post-monsoon maintenance for all bridges, but with a staff of around 5,000, its possible to cover only around 35 per cent of the bridges in a year,” revealed a senior PWD officer, requesting anonymity.

As per the SOPs, any initial complaints go to the concerned local PWD office which sends out teams to inspect, and if there are serious problems, specialised team with experts from within and outside (like IITs, IIE, etc.) examine it scientifically, said the officer, who has personally inspected around 1,000 bridges in the past two decades in some of the most hazardous terrain.

Then, the cumbersome work of making reports, proposals, budget estimates, sourcing the funds, setting the time-frame, etc, takes place, and again depending on the urgency of the work, it may or may not be prioritised as paucity of finance remains the biggest hurdle.

A former PWD Chief Engineer of Bridges had suggested to the state government and Union Minister for Roads & Highways Nitin Gadkari to rope in the 30,000 students from civil engineering colleges studying in their two final years to help in the inspection works.

“They can form a part of the local PWD inspection teams and theoretically can inspect all the 35,000-bridges in the state in just a couple of days. This exercise can be done twice a year to reveal all the maintenance flaws and potential risks to any structure,” he said.

The students would be guided by the PWD experts, and it would have proved an invaluable academic field exercise with some incentives like grace marks or extra grades in their exams, etc, but there was no movement on his suggestion, rued the ex-CE.

Prescribing a regular “good health check-up” for all bridges, especially the old ones, a senior Highway Department officer appreciated the Indian Railways for their “constant vigil and dedicated teams carrying out daily, weekly, monthly inspections or biannual surveys of all their bridges” to ensure safety of the hundreds of trains hurtling around the country with passengers and cargo.

“Unfortunately, this zest is severely lacking among the states’ PWDs and virtually non-existent for the national highways authority, though the local civic bodies barely pass out on this count,” the officer said.

Touching on the Savitri River bridge crash, the PWD officer said it was nicknamed a “green bridge” as its fa�ade was completely covered with shrubs, bushes, creepers and small plants – but spelling a “red alert” from the safety aspect.

“Such overgrowth is rarely taken into account, another lurking danger is the dredging of sand from the water-bed in the vicinity, blatantly violating norms which weaken the bridge foundations and make it prone to a crash, overloading during peak hours which hasten the wear-and-tear, allowing vehicles to ply even when the flood levels touch or cross the red level marks, as it happened in the Savitri River case,” he said.

Officers from the Highways Department, PWD, civic bodies and others ruled that “unless regular inspection and maintenance” is carried out for all bridges – majority are already over 40-50 years old – there can be repetitions of the recent Morbi (141 dead) or the 2003 Daman & Diu (26 dead) type tragedies, with more risks added as new bridges come up practically every month in the massive expansion of the roads and railways in the country.

The inspection tasks are now considerably easier with the applications of computers, drones, satellites or other modern gadgets to scan the bridge health without physical presence, though the latest technological advancements come at a high price and are deployed on hardly one percent of all the structures in the state, the officials said.

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Crime

Palghar Crime: Naigaon Police Arrest 35-Year-Old Murder Accused From Ship At Okha Port In Gujarat After Month-Long Manhunt

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8 hours ago

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October 4, 2025

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Palghar, Maharashtra: In a significant breakthrough, the Naigaon Police have arrested a murder accused who had been absconding for nearly a month. The accused, Sunil Kharpat Prajapati (35), was traced and detained from a ship docked at Okha-Dwarka port in Gujarat after a meticulous manhunt.

The case dates back to September 7, 2025, when a dispute broke out between two workers of Synergy Hygiel Company at Kaman, Vasai (East). The deceased, Dilip Saroj, and the accused, Prajapati, had been given money by their employer, Prakash Ghunkar Chamaria, to share expenses for meals. However, Prajapati allegedly withheld the amount from Saroj, sparking a heated quarrel.

According to police, during the altercation, Prajapati assaulted Saroj with a blunt object, inflicting severe injuries on his head, eyes, and right arm. Saroj succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment, leading police to upgrade the charges to murder under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Given the gravity of the crime, senior officers formed two dedicated teams from the Crime Detection Branch to trace the fugitive. Acting on credible intelligence, investigators learned that the accused had taken shelter aboard a vessel at Okha port in Gujarat. Over 200 ships in the vicinity were thoroughly searched before police located Prajapati hiding on one of them.

He was taken into custody and later confessed to his role in the crime during questioning, officials said. The accused is now in police custody, and further investigation is underway.

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Maharashtra

Ruckus created in Kurla over I Love Muhammad sticker, Soumya’s ultimatum, Soumya’s visit again after no progress in investigation, attempt to worsen the situation

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8 hours ago

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October 4, 2025

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Mumbai: The controversy over I Love Muhammad has intensified in Mumbai, Maharashtra and Mumbai. BJP leader Kirat Soumya has objected to the pasting of I Love Muhammad stickers on vehicles at traffic stops in the Kurla area on the outskirts of Mumbai and demanded the registration of an FIR. After giving a 48-hour ultimatum to the Kurla police station, Kirat Soumya has again visited the Kurla police station today and demanded the registration of a case for the forcible pasting of stickers on vehicles. In this matter, the police have asked Kirat Soumya to consult the law department and seek time for progress in the matter until Tuesday. When Kirat Soumya was asked what he had against I Love Muhammad and why he opposed it, he denied it and said that everyone has the right to take the name of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), but hooliganism will not be tolerated under the guise of this. The way the stickers were forcibly pasted on the roads without permission is the same. It is illegal. Kret Soumya said that the police have provided all the video footage and other documents, but the police have not registered a case yet. The police have given me time till Tuesday. Now the police will take some action after consulting the law department. When Kret Soumya was asked whether anyone had gone to the police station and complained about the forced sticker application, he said that since I am the complainant, the police should take action against this hooliganism. After Kret Soumya’s demand, attempts have been made to spoil the situation in Kurla, due to which the atmosphere is tense.

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Maharashtra

The streets echoed with the slogans of Takbir Allahu Akbar and Rasool, the Muslim youth arrested in the ‘I Love Muhammad’ controversy should be released, demand the scholars.

Published

9 hours ago

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October 4, 2025

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Mumbai: The historic 71-year-old Ghausia procession was taken out from Madanpura Hari Masjid in Mumbai with great respect and dignity. The Ghausia procession was led by scholars, while the devotees of Ghaus Azam participated in the procession carrying the flag of the Prophet. The streets of Mumbai echoed with slogans like Takbir Allah Akbar, we will not leave the fold of Ghaus. The police had made strict security arrangements after the violence in Bareilly. After the controversy over I Love Muhammad, there was a high alert in Mumbai as well.

The scholars were seen in old and antique cars in the Ghausia procession, while all the scholars and devotees of Ghaus Azam, including students of madrasas, were part of the procession. The procession passed through traditional highways from Madanpura to Ghausia and ended with prayers at Mastan Talab. Success lies in following the teachings of Ghaus-e-Azam Dastgir (may Allah be pleased with him), therefore, it is essential for Muslims to observe prayers and follow Sharia. This advice was given by Maulana Maqsood Ali Khan while narrating the biography of Ghaus-e-Pak before the Ghausiya procession today.

He said that the Ghausiya procession has completed 70 years. It is the need of the hour for Muslims to maintain unity and agreement among themselves. The message of humanity has been spread by Ghaus-e-Azam Dastgir (may Allah be pleased with him). On the controversy over Come Muhammad, Maulana Maqsood Ali Khan said that Muhammad Mustafa (peace be upon him) has spread the message of love. He came as a mercy for humanity, but today in this fascinating era, the market of hatred is hot. Politics is also going on in the name of Come Muhammad and attempts are being made to spoil the situation, which is completely wrong. Maulana Maqsood Ali Khan said that Ghaus-e-Azam Dastgir has countless discoveries and miracles and he has advised to acquire knowledge.

He has also traveled from Jilani to Baghdad to acquire knowledge, so education is of great importance in Islam. He said that the first letter of the name of Muhammad (peace be upon him) is M, that is why everyone loves Muhammad (peace be upon him). On the Bareilly violence, Maulana Maqsood Ali Khan said that the Muslim youth arrested on charges of violence should be conditionally released. Muslims had protested peacefully in love with the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). Along with this, Maulana Tauqeer Raza should also be released.

In all the monasteries, including Khwaja Gharib Nawaz (may Allah be pleased with him), there are more non-Muslim attendees than Muslims, and this is a manifestation of brotherhood and national unity. He said that opposing the name of Muhammad (peace be upon him) is absolutely not right. He (peace be upon him) loved even his enemies. A person who is devoted to him (peace be upon him) only spreads the message of love. Maulana Khalil-ur-Rehman said that the secret of success lies in following the teachings of Ghaus-e-Pak (may Allah have mercy on him).

Therefore, Muslims should hold firmly to the rope of Islam and follow the Holy Sharia. He said that in today’s fascinating era, sectarian forces are hatching conspiracies against Islam, along with which attempts are being made to commit atrocities on Muslims, but the grace of Ghaus-e-Pak will always remain with us Muslims. The government should immediately release the Muslim youth arrested in Bareilly and other cities of Uttar Pradesh and impose a ban on unnecessary arrests. Maulana Manan Raza Khan Manani Mian, Maulana Syed Kausar Rabbani, Alhaj Saeed Noori Raza Academy, Maulana Abdul Qadir Alvi, Maulana Farid-ul-Zaman, Maulana Khalil-ur-Rehman Noori, Maulana Ijaz Kashmiri, Maulana Amanullah Raza, Mufti Zubair Barkati, Hafiz Abdul Qadir, Qari Niaz Ahmed, Qari Nazim Ali Barkati, Qari Abdul Rehman Ziaei, Maulana Ibrahim Asi, Hafiz Shadab, Haji Barakat Ahmed Ashrafi and other scholars and intellectuals participated.

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