Who cares if people die: India's sad infrastructure story

Aportion of a state government school building collapsing in Rajasthan's District Jhalawar on Friday, leaving seven children dead and 28 injured, Bhupendra Chaubey says in the video above, is unfortunately not some sporadic incident. The part of the Piplod Government School building housing Classes 6 and 7 gave way, burying about 35 children. Piles of concrete, bricks, and stones were stacked high, while numerous individuals, including anxious parents and educators, participated in the rescue operation, sifting through the heaps of rubble to retrieve the children.

The frequent reports of infrastructure collapse in India, often resulting in casualties, point to a deeply concerning systemic issue that demands scrutiny. These incidents—bridges, buildings, billboards, and airport structures failing, sometimes shortly after construction or renovation—reflect a combination of factors that can't be brushed off as mere accidents or isolated events. My take is that this is a symptom of broader governance, accountability, and systemic flaws, not just bad luck or natural disasters.

First, the scale is alarming. Reports indicate thousands of structural collapses annually, with bridges alone seeing over 2,000 failures in the past few decades, many tied to natural disasters (80.3%), material deterioration (10.1%), or overloading (3.28%). Recent cases, like the 2025 bridge collapse in Maharashtra, killing two and injuring 32, or the 2024 Delhi airport canopy collapse, killing a cab driver, show this isn’t just a historical problem — it’s ongoing. The 2022 Morbi bridge collapse, which killed 134, underscores how even renovated or "new" infrastructure isn’t immune.

Issues

The root issues seem to stem from a toxic mix of corruption, poor quality control, and rushed construction. The L1 (lowest cost) bidding system, for instance, incentivises contractors to cut corners—using substandard materials, hiring unskilled labour, or skipping safety protocols to stay within tight budgets. The 2016 Vivekanand Flyover collapse in Kolkata, where 26 died, was explicitly linked to such practices. Corruption also plays a role; India’s 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index ranking of 93 out of 180 suggests systemic issues in project oversight and tender allocation.

Environmental factors, like heavy monsoon rains or shifting climate patterns, exacerbate the problem, but they’re not the whole story. Many structures fail because they’re not designed for current climatic realities — outdated building codes and inadequate environmental data are repeatedly cited. For example, the 2024 collapses of airport structures in Delhi, Jabalpur, and Rajkot were tied to heavy rainfall, but poor design and maintenance were critical failures.

Then there’s the governance angle. Delayed inspections, lack of maintenance, and weak accountability mechanisms mean problems are often ignored until they become deadly. Posts on X reflect public frustration, pointing to collapsing bridges and roads as evidence of mismanagement, with some calling out the lack of audits or legal consequences for those responsible. The suspension of engineers after incidents, like the 2025 Gujarat bridge collapse that killed 17, feels like a reactive band-aid rather than a solution.

On the flip side, India’s push for rapid development — aiming for a $5 trillion economy — requires massive infrastructure growth. The PM Gati Shakti and Bharatmala schemes show ambition, but the rush to meet deadlines (often tied to political optics, like pre-election inaugurations) compromises quality. The leaking Ram temple roof in Ayodhya, consecrated in 2024, is a glaring example of prioritising symbolism over substance.

Solutions

What’s needed? Stricter oversight, updated building codes that account for climate change, and scrapping cost-driven systems like L1 in favour of quality-focused contracting. Regular inspections and maintenance aren’t glamorous but could save lives. The public’s outrage, evident in media and X posts, is justified — people are dying because of preventable failures. Until accountability catches up with ambition, these tragedies will likely continue.

The story isn’t about engineering; it’s about valuing human lives over political or financial expediency. India’s infrastructure dreams are valid, but they’re crumbling under the weight of systemic neglect.