India’s Infrastructure Challenge

• 14 Jul 2025

For Prelims: National Highways, Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) – UDAN, Galathea Bay Mega Port, India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, Delhi-Meerut RRTS Corridor, Parvatmala Pariyojana, Blockchain, PM Gati Shakti, Municipal Bonds, InvITs, Green Bonds. 

For Mains: Status of infrastructure in India and challenges associated with it, Steps needed to improve and strengthen infrastructure development. 

Source: TH 

Why in News? 

The collapse of the Mahisagar River Bridge in Vadodara due to structural failure, killing 20 people, highlights growing concerns over infrastructure quality amid similar incidents nationwide. 

Similar Instances of India’s Poor Infrastructure 

• Gujarat: The 2022 Morbi suspension bridge collapse claimed 135 lives.  
• Maharashtra: The Palava Bridge on Kalyan-Shil Road was closed within two hours of opening due to structural defects, while the Pune Pedestrian Bridge over the Indrayani River collapsed under tourist weight. 
• Assam: The Harang Bridge collapsed (June 2025) after two overloaded trucks crossed during heavy rain, cutting off Barak Valley from Tripura, Mizoram, and Manipur. 
• Madhya Pradesh: The Aishbagh rail overbridge in Bhopal, featuring a hazardous 90-degree turn, triggered public outrage. 
• Bihar: In 2024, at least 12 bridges collapsed within 20 days. In 2025, the collapse of Munger’s Bichli Pul over the Gandak River isolated 80,000 residents. 

What are the Reasons Behind India’s Poor Infrastructure? 

• Corruption & Substandard Materials: Contractor mafia and kickbacks (reward for awarding the deal) allow politically linked firms to use poor-quality materials for higher profits. 
  • Ghost projects and fund misuse, especially in Bihar, cause weak structures, like Purnea’s illegal ghost bridge built for a land scam. 
• Poor Maintenance & Overloading: Neglect of old bridges, like those in Morbi and over the Indrayani River, led to collapse due to lack of inspection and reinforcement. 
  • Overloading, as seen in Assam’s Harang Bridge, causes failures when traffic rules are ignored and heavy vehicles go unchecked. 
• Engineering Flaws: Poor planning, seen in Bhopal’s Aishbagh rail overbridge and Indore’s under-construction bridge, results in unsafe infrastructure. 
  • Lack of expert oversight and technical review leads to structural flaws in many projects. 
• Lack of Accountability: Poor accountability follows disasters like Morbi and Mahisagar, with officials and contractors rarely punished. 
  • Lax safety regulations and the absence of strict bridge audits let unsafe structures remain in use. 
• Climate & Environmental Factors: In Assam and Bihar, floods and river erosion weaken bridge foundations, yet preventive action is lacking. 
  • Unplanned urbanization in cities like Mumbai and Pune leads to stressed infrastructure. 
• Political Interference: Rushed inaugurations of incomplete projects (like the Palava Bridge), bypassing safety checks. 
  • State-centre mismanagement, including bureaucratic delays and fund disputes, stalls many infrastructure projects. 

What is the Current State of Infrastructure Development in India? 

• Highways and Roads: India holds the position of having the world’s second-largest road network (after the United States), with National Highways extending to 1,46,145 km as of 2024. 
• Railways: India’s first bullet train project, designed for speeds of 280 km/h, is expected to be completed by 2026. 
  • The past decade has seen a decline in consequential accidents, despite notable incidents like the Kanchenjunga Express crash. 
• Civil Aviation: India is the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market, with the number of operational airports rising from 74 in 2014 to 157 in 2024. 
  • Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)–UDAN, millions of passengers have benefited by December 2024. 
• Maritime Sector: India aims to rank among the top five shipbuilding nations by 2047.  
  • Major projects like the Galathea Bay mega port and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor are underway to enhance trade connectivity. 
• Urban Metro: The metro network expanded from 248 km in 2014 to 945 km by 2024, now operating in 21 cities and serving 1 crore daily commuters. 
  • The Namo Bharat train on the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor strengthens regional connectivity and improves urban transportation. 
• Ropeways Development: Under the Parvatmala Pariyojana, around 60 km of ropeway projects were slated for award by FY 2024-25, including the Varanasi Urban Ropeway and the Gaurikund-Kedarnath Ropeway. 

Government Initiatives for Infrastructure Development 

• PM Gati Shakti Scheme 
• Bharatmala scheme 
• National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) 
• Sagarmala Project 
• Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) 

How can India Improve and Strengthen Its Infrastructure Development? 

• Strict Quality Control: All major infrastructure projects like bridges, highways, and dams should undergo independent audits by institutions like IITs, with lifetime bans for firms linked to poor construction. 
  • Implement real-time fund tracking using blockchain to curb embezzlement and ensure transparency. 
• Adopt Advanced Engineering & Materials: Use high-quality materials like fiber-reinforced polymers and corrosion-resistant alloys, inspired by Japan’s earthquake-proof bridges, for flood-prone areas like Assam and Bihar. 
  • Adopt AI and IoT-based sensors for real-time monitoring of bridges to detect cracks, stress, and overloading. 
• Shift Focus from Construction to Maintenance: India must adopt a proactive maintenance approach using Bridge Management Systems (BMS), ensuring a fixed share of capital expenditure is allocated for Operations & Maintenance. 
  • States should implement structured maintenance policies like Bihar’s Bridge Maintenance Policy 2025, featuring IIT audits and sensor-based monitoring. 
• Strengthen Infrastructure Planning: Utilize the GIS-based National Master Plan under PM Gati Shakti for integrated, data-driven infrastructure planning, and deploy AI tools for predictive planning, logistics optimization, and bottleneck detection. 
• Deepen Infrastructure Financing: Maintain high public capital expenditure while encouraging PPP models, and monetise brownfield assets to fund new infrastructure. 
  • Promote municipal bonds, InvITs, green bonds, and blended finance to attract long-term institutional investments. 

Conclusion 

India’s infrastructure faces a paradox: rapid expansion alongside glaring failures. While highways, metros, and aviation have advanced, recurring bridge collapses expose deep systemic flaws in quality control, corruption, and maintenance. Urgent reforms in planning, execution, and transparency are essential to ensure inclusive and structurally sound development. 

Drishti Mains Question

Highlight the key reasons behind recurring infrastructure failures in India, with recent examples.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs) 

Prelims

Q. With reference to ‘National Investment and Infrastructure Fund’, which of the following statements is/are correct? (2017) 

1. It is an organ of NITI Aayog. 
2. It has a corpus of `4,00,000 crore at present. 

Select the correct answer using the code given below: 

(a) 1 only   

(b) 2 only  

(c) Both 1 and 2   

(d) Neither 1 nor 2  

Ans: (d) 

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Mains 

Q. “Investment in infrastructure is essential for more rapid and inclusive economic growth.” Discuss in the light of India’s experience. (2021)