Mind the gap: MP govt's series of U-turns in the aftermath of 90 degree bridge gaffe

The Print

18-07-2025

On 15 July, P.C. Verma, Chief Engineer (Bridges) at the PWD department first issued an order pointing out that 'ROBs and flyover structures approved and at the General Arrangement Drawing (GAD) and some others at the Detailed Project Report (DPR) were observed to have design issues or needing technical improvements, and thereby their GAD stands cancelled until further review to avoid future complications.' But within 24 hours, Verma issued a clarification stating, 'Old alignments have not been cancelled. An order was mistakenly issued by me, which was later withdrawn. It is clarified here that for bridges and flyovers, the alignment is jointly issued by the Railways and Public Works Department. Therefore, the Chief Engineer does not have the authority to cancel such alignments, nor was there any requirement for changes in the projects.'
Speaking to ThePrint, a senior officer from the PWD department requesting anonymity said, 'The state government had instructed the Public Works Department to reinforce the guidelines and take necessary measures to ensure the bridges are being constructed as per the laid down guidelines. However, the Chief Engineer misinterpreted the order and went ahead and issued another order in his capacity, halting the construction of bridges. But considering he does not have the power to issue such orders, nor was it required, the order has been withdrawn.'
Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government seems to be taking too many U-turns recently. First it changed its decision to build a Road Over Bridge (ROB) in Bhopal's Aishbagh with a 90 degree turn. Then Chief Engineer (Bridges) P.C. Verma ordered halting and review of all under construction bridges. Then he withdrew his order the next day, clarifying that he did not have the authority to cancel such things, nor was there any requirement for changes in the project.
If enforced, Chief Engineer P.C. Verma's order would have impacted 140 under-construction flyovers, and another 355 projects where the General Arrangement Designs were approved. The goof-up occurred at a time when the PWD department is in the process of reinforcing laid-down engineering guidelines and training its engineers to enhance their competence for quality bridge construction. It is doubly embarrassing as it comes after the state government was left red-faced over a rail over bridge in the capital city of Bhopal was left with two 90 degree turns.
It was last month in June, when the 648-metre-long rail over bridge (ROB) near Aishbagh stadium was nearing its completion when videos and photos of the sharp nearly 90 degree turn in the inaugurated bridge turn went viral on social media. This led to an inquiry being ordered into the matter. It turned out that the General Arrangement Design (GAD) of the bridge was prepared in 2018 in coordination between the PWD department's Chief Engineer (Bridges) level along with Indian Railways. Owing to paucity of space at the construction site, with ongoing metro work on one side and the railway's high tension line on the other side, the design of the bridge was prepared with a sharp 90 degree turn and finalised at the level of Chief Engineer (Bridges) without it being red-flagged. The design was approved and the construction was carried out. It was when the construction of the bridge was nearly complete, that the design flaw which would have left motorists to navigate two sharp 90 degree turns was noticed and went viral on social media making the state government a subject of ridicule.
Soon after, an inquiry was ordered and based on the inquiry report, eight engineers of the PWD department, including two chief engineers, were suspended. Even as the government swung into damage control, another controversy erupted with a Z-shaped bridge being constructed in Indore with similar 90 degree turns. It led to local BJP MLA Shankar Lalwani writing to the PWD Minister Rakesh Singh to rectify the design of the bridge. Taking cognizance of these incidents, the state government set out to reinforce guidelines, train its engineers and set up a high level committee to oversee designs and suggest alternatives where needed.
On 15 July, the state government issued a slew of guidelines for its PWD department, ordering the setting up of a five member committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Engineer with a provision to get specialists from relevant governments and the private sector as per need.
The state government has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Academy for Highway Engineering (IHAE) to create a training module for quality bridge construction. The state government is also planning a workshop for all its engineers to reinforce the Indian Road Congress Code and Ministry of Road Transport and Highway (MORTH) guidelines. Apart from this, officials from the PWD department are also looking at alternative contracting methods such as Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) for major projects to allow quality and design expertise from the private sector.
Simultaneously, the Public Works Department is working on improving implementation by utilising more and more information technology. This includes camera-based monitoring for major projects.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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