The state government of Madhya Pradesh in northeast India suspended seven engineers on Saturday after images of a road bridge with a right-angle turn went viral on social media.
Among the staff affected were two chief engineers of the state鈥檚 Public Works Department, local media .听
Mohan Yadav, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, on Twitter/X that he had been made aware of the 鈥渟erious negligence鈥� in the construction of the bridge, which crossed a railway line in the Aishbagh district of central Bhopal.听
He said he had ordered an inquiry, based on which 鈥渁ction has been taken鈥� against the engineers.听
The minister added that the construction agency, architect and design consultant responsible for the work had been banned from bidding for further public contracts.
The $2m bridge became a subject of ridicule, with many commentators questioning how vehicles would negotiate the bend. This is now a problem for a special committee of the Public Works Department, after which it will be opened to the public.
State officials reacted to the criticism by arguing that they had had no other option but to build the bridge this way, given the lack of available land and the presence of a neighbouring metro station.听
It鈥檚 possible that more land will be made available and the corner will be turned into a smoother curve.
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