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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
'Don't make me unnecessarily famous', says Chenab bridge project engineer
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Chenab Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir last Friday. Soaring 359 metres above the Chenab River—35 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower—it is now the tallest railway arch bridge in the world. As the nation celebrated this engineering feat, G Madhavi Latha, a key contributor to the project, offered a humble tribute to the many behind-the-scenes heroes who made it possible. 'I salute the millions of unsung heroes,' said G Madhavi Latha, a Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. She served as a geotechnical consultant to Afcons, the engineering firm that executed the construction of the Chenab Bridge. 'My role was to help in developing slope stabilisation schemes and design of foundations on slope,' she wrote in a LinkedIn post shortly after the inauguration. A veteran of the project for 17 years, Latha distanced herself from headlines that referred to her as the 'woman behind the mission' or someone who 'performed miracles to build the bridge'. She called such descriptions 'baseless' and urged the public not to single her out. 'Please don't make me unnecessarily famous,' she said. 'I am one of the thousands who deserve appreciation for Chenab Bridge.' Currently attending a conference in Spain, she expressed gratitude to those who reached out with congratulations. 'Many fathers have written to me saying that they want their daughters to become like me. Many young kids have written to me that they now want to take up Civil Engineering as their career choice,' Latha shared. In a touching tribute, she said, 'All glory belongs to Indian Railways,' acknowledging both the national transporter and Afcons for executing what many once considered an impossible task. The Chenab Bridge is part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project, designed to enhance connectivity in the Kashmir Valley. Built at a cost of ₹1,486 crore, the project faced formidable challenges including harsh terrain, seismic vulnerabilities, and unpredictable geology. Latha and her team played a pivotal role in steering the bridge through these obstacles. Their approach—described as 'design-as-you-go'—meant adapting to real-time discoveries such as fractured rock layers and hidden cavities that earlier surveys had not detected. Her expertise in rock anchor design and slope stability was critical in ensuring the safety and success of the project. She has documented this technical journey in a paper titled 'Design as You Go: The Case Study of Chenab Railway Bridge', published in the Indian Geotechnical Journal's special issue dedicated to women engineers.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Who is Dr. G Madhavi Latha, the geotechnical genius behind India's Chenab Bridge
The Chenab Railway Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir , upon its complete construction, became the world's highest railway single-arch bridge. Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6, 2025, this architectural marvel stands 359 meters above the Chenab River, surpassing even the Eiffel Tower in height. Going across 1,315 meters, the bridge is an important component of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, aiming to provide all-weather rail connectivity to the Kashmir Valley. While the bridge itself is a symbol of engineering excellence, the journey to its completion was paved with challenges. At the forefront of this endeavor was Dr. G Madhavi Latha, a distinguished professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. Her expertise and dedication were important in overcoming the region's complex geological and environmental hurdles. Who is Dr. G Madhavi Latha? Dr. G Madhavi Latha is a renowned figure in the field of civil engineering, specialising in geotechnical and rock engineering. She completed her in Civil Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in 1992, followed by an from NIT Warangal. In 2000, she earned her Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from IIT Madras. Before joining IISc in 2004, she served as a faculty member at IIT Guwahati. At IISc, she became the first female faculty member in the Civil Engineering Department. The professor said on the IISc website, "Back then, there were no exclusive toilets for women in the department. I had to really fight to get a women's toilet in the geotechnical engineering building." Over the years, Dr. Latha has received numerous accolades, including the Best Woman Geotechnical Researcher award from the Indian Geotechnical Society in 2021 and recognition among the 'Top 75 Women in STEAM' in India in 2022. What was her role in the Chenab Railway Bridge Project? Dr. Latha's involvement in the Chenab Railway Bridge project spanned 17 years, during which she served as a geotechnical consultant. Her primary responsibility was to address the tough challenges posed by the region's rugged terrain and unpredictable geological conditions. The project's success hinged on innovative solutions to stabilise slopes, design strong foundations, and ensure the structural toughness of the bridge. A notable area of Dr. Latha's approach was the adoption of a 'design-as-you-go' method. This strategy allowed her team to respond dynamically to unforeseen geological anomalies, such as fractured rocks and hidden cavities. As she noted in her paper 'Design as You Go: The Case Study of Chenab Railway Bridge', "Construction of a civil engineering marvel like the Chenab bridge posed many challenges from planning to completion. A rigid design with fixed dimensions and pre-determined solutions would not have been feasible." Her team's efforts included the installation of rock anchors and the implementation of slope stabilisation techniques to withstand seismic activities and extreme weather conditions. These interventions were crucial in ensuring the bridge's resilience and longevity. IISc acknowledged Dr. Latha's contributions on X, stating, 'We are proud of Prof Madhavi Latha & her team's contribution to the Chenab Bridge inaugurated by Hon'ble PM Narendra Modi. The team worked on stability of slopes, design & construction of foundations, design of slope stabilisation systems, incl. rock anchors to withstand hazards.'
NDTV
4 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Chenab Bridge Project Engineer's New Post On "Unnecessary" Fame
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Chenab Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, the world's highest railway arch bridge, last Friday. As the nation celebrated the feat, Professor G Madhavi Latha, a long-time contributor, credited thousands of "unsung heroes" and urged people not to make her "unnecessarily famous." "I salute the millions of unsung heroes," said Dr Latha, who was a geotechnical consultant to Afcons, the engineering firm that constructed the bridge. "My role was to help in developing slope stabilisation schemes and design of foundations on slope," she added in a message on LinkedIn shared after the inauguration. Dr Latha, who has been involved with the Chenab Bridge for 17 years, spoke about the headlines that described her as the "woman behind the mission" and one who performed "miracles to build the bridge". She called them "baseless." "Please don't make me unnecessarily famous," she said. "I am one of the thousands who deserve appreciation for Chenab Bridge." Currently attending a conference in Spain, the professor from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, thanked those who sent congratulatory messages. "Many fathers have written to me saying that they want their daughters to become like me. Many young kids have written to me that they now want to take up Civil Engineering as their career choice," she said. "All glory belongs to Indian Railways," she said and appreciated the Indian Railways and Afcons for their execution of what many called an impossible task. A leading geotechnical engineer, Dr G Madhavi Latha is a Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) professor at the IISc, Bengaluru. Construction of the Chenab Bridge, part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL), faced significant challenges due to difficult terrain, seismic risks, and unpredictable geology. Dr Latha and her team helped the project navigate these complexities with a "design-as-you-go" approach. This meant adapting to real-time findings like fractured rocks and hidden cavities, factors that earlier surveys had missed. Dr Latha provided guidance on rock anchor design and slope stability, elements crucial for a structure of this scale. She also detailed her technical journey in a paper titled 'Design as You Go: The Case Study of Chenab Railway Bridge', published in the Indian Geotechnical Journal's special women's issue. Standing 359 metres above the Chenab River, the bridge rises 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower. Indian Railways built it at a cost of Rs 1,486 crore, making it the tallest railway arch bridge in the world. The government calls it the biggest civil-engineering challenge Indian Railways has ever tackled. Engineers expect the bridge to significantly boost connectivity in the Kashmir Valley, calling it a once-in-a-lifetime project.
