According to a report by the "Print" on October 13, India's rapid progress in infrastructure development has outpaced its regulatory systems and professional capabilities. In the fiscal year 2024-25, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in India invested Rs 3.1 lakh crore (Rs 310 billion) in infrastructure. However, many infrastructure projects are still facing issues such as quality problems, delayed schedules, frequent changes of contractors, and high incidence of safety accidents. Currently, about 580 highway projects with a total value of Rs 4 lakh crore (Rs 400 billion) are facing delays. There were 42 cases of bridge collapses across India between 2019 and 2024. Serious quality problems have also occurred in the construction of the Palava Flyover in Mumbai, Gokhale Bridge, and Atal Setu Bridge. The reasons for this include: first, there are flaws in the bidding and contract system. Under the current L-1 lowest price bidding system, contractors lower their bids and then compensate for losses by using substandard materials and reducing labor. Second, there are obvious loopholes in engineering planning and supervision. For example, Megha Engineering won a part of the coastal road project of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) by offering a bid that was Rs 31 billion higher than its competitors. The collapse of roads in Kerala in 2025 was due to insufficient geotechnical investigation. Third, the construction of talent is worrying. Due to factors such as low salaries, instability, and poor working conditions, the appeal of civil engineering professions in India has declined. The number of enrollments in civil engineering and related programs dropped from 630,000 in 2016-17 to 489,000 in 2021, which is the largest decline among all engineering disciplines.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1846003594557639/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.