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'Bridge Man of India' Girish Bharadwaj Dies at 76
The engineer built about 140 low-cost hanging footbridges that improved access to schools, hospitals and markets for thousands in remote villages.
- On Tuesday, Padma Shri awardee Girish Bharadwaj, the engineer celebrated as the "Bridge Man of India," died at a private hospital in Sullia, Karnataka, following a brief illness. He was 76.
- A mechanical engineer by training, Bharadwaj began his mission in 1989 when Aramburu village residents sought help crossing the Payaswini river. That initial project cost less than Rs 2 lakh and launched his rural infrastructure career.
- Over nearly four decades, he designed and built over 140 low-cost hanging footbridges spanning Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, and Odisha. These structures provided year-round access to schools, hospitals, and markets for isolated rural communities.
- The Union Government honoured Bharadwaj with the Padma Shri in 2017 for his rural connectivity work. He received personal appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "Sethu Bandhu" projects, often offering services for free.
- While his son Pathanjali Bharadwaj carries forward the bridge-building legacy, the engineer previously expressed concern that few students were learning his hanging bridge techniques, skills essential for rural connectivity in difficult terrain.
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