Politics & Governance2 Nov 2026 · about 6 min

Madhya Pradesh built a Rs 8 crore bridge in 2023. You still can’t drive over it

The brief

The project is a 308-metre bridge over the Dudhi River near Umardha village in Narmadapuram district. It was completed in December 2023 to connect Narmadapuram with neighbouring Narsinghpur and help residents of about 40 to 50 villages. The bridge matters only if people can reach it from both sides. That access is missing. The bridge contract included only short approach stretches of 50 metres and 100 metres on either side. The longer link roads were left outside that work. About 1,200 metres on the Narsinghpur side and 1,500 metres on the Narmadapuram side still need construction. The roads leading to the bridge become muddy and waterlogged during monsoon. Later, potholes and uneven ground make travel difficult. The state government has not yet assigned the remaining work to an agency, so the completed bridge has not delivered its intended connectivity.

What was built in Madhya Pradesh, and why can’t people use it as intended?

That access is missing. The bridge contract included only short approach stretches of 50 metres and 100 metres on either side. The longer link roads were left outside that work. About 1,200 metres on the Narsinghpur side and 1,500 metres on the Narmadapuram side still need construction.

The roads leading to the bridge become muddy and waterlogged during monsoon. Later, potholes and uneven ground make travel difficult. The state government has not yet assigned the remaining work to an agency, so the completed bridge has not delivered its intended connectivity.

What is an approach road, and why is it essential for a bridge to provide useful transport access?

An approach road is the road leading up to a bridge from the surrounding road network. It connects the bridge entrance with villages, highways, or existing local roads. This link is essential because a bridge is only one part of a journey. Vehicles and pedestrians need a continuous, usable route on both sides.

At Umardha, the Setu Nirman Vibhag built the bridge and short approach stretches of 50 metres and 100 metres on either side. However, longer roads were still needed: roughly 1,500 metres on the Narmadapuram side and 1,200 metres on the Narsinghpur side. Those stretches would connect the bridge to existing village roads.

Without these links, residents must use muddy, waterlogged tracks during monsoon and pothole-filled ground afterward. The bridge therefore exists physically, but it cannot provide reliable transport access. Its usefulness depends on completing the full route to nearby villages.

How large was the project: how long is the bridge, how much did it cost, and how much road is still missing?

The project includes a 308-metre bridge over the Dudhi River in Madhya Pradesh’s Narmadapuram district. It was sanctioned at Rs 8.86 crore, while the contractor completed the construction for around Rs 8 crore. The bridge itself was completed in December 2023.

Its unfinished road connection is much longer than the bridge. Around 2.7 kilometres of road remain to be built. The detailed breakdown is approximately 1,200 metres on the Narsinghpur side and 1,500 metres on the Narmadapuram side. These roads were meant to connect the bridge with the existing village-road network.

The figures show why the project remains incomplete in practical terms. A major structure has been built and paid for, but the missing links prevent regular access. Until those stretches are assigned, funded, and constructed, the bridge cannot serve the 40 to 50 villages it was intended to benefit.

Which government department built the bridge, and which agencies might be responsible for the unfinished roads?

The Setu Nirman Vibhag in Narsinghpur was responsible for the bridge project. Its assigned work included the bridge and approach-road stretches measuring 50 metres and 100 metres on either side. Sub-divisional officer Keshav Raidas said that work was completed three years ago.

The unfinished work involves longer link roads outside that department’s contract. The Narmadapuram-side road must connect the bridge through Pasi Ghat to an existing village road maintained by the Public Works Department. On the Narsinghpur side, about 1.2 kilometres remain. The report sent to the state government identifies both stretches.

Raidas said the PWD could be considered for the Narmadapuram side, while the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana could potentially be involved on the Narsinghpur side. These are only possibilities. The state government has yet to decide which agencies will undertake the work.

What happens to villagers’ travel, healthcare access, and farming activities when the bridge has no usable roads connecting it to the villages?

The missing roads keep the bridge from delivering its main benefit: easier movement between Narmadapuram and Narsinghpur. Villagers still struggle to reach the structure, especially during monsoon when the tracks become muddy and waterlogged. After the rains, potholes and uneven ground continue to make travel difficult.

The article identifies several activities that a functioning connection would support. Farmers could move more easily between villages, and residents could reach healthcare and other essential services more conveniently. Settlements on both sides, including Pasi, Umarda, Mawar, and Tumda, would gain a more direct connection.

For now, those benefits remain largely unavailable because the bridge is not linked to the existing village-road network. The structure can shorten the crossing over the river, but it cannot complete a journey by itself. Until the 2.7 kilometres of road are built, difficult access will continue limiting travel and services.

Why can a bridge be completed while the road network needed to reach it remains unfinished?

A bridge can be completed before its road network when different parts of the project belong to different government agencies. In this case, the Setu Nirman Vibhag’s assignment covered the bridge and only short approach stretches. The longer links were not part of that completed contract.

The department built 50 metres and 100 metres of approach road on the two sides. It then reported that about 1,200 metres on the Narsinghpur side and 1,500 metres on the Narmadapuram side were still pending. Those stretches must connect the bridge to the existing village-road network.

The remaining gap is now administrative as well as physical. The department says its work is finished, while the state government must decide who will take up the roads. The PWD and PMGSY have been mentioned as possibilities, but neither assignment is confirmed. That unresolved responsibility has left the bridge unusable as intended.

How do public infrastructure projects depend on coordination, budgeting, and clearly assigned responsibility between different government agencies?

Public infrastructure works as a connected system, not as isolated structures. A bridge needs roads, funding, and agencies with clearly defined duties. Coordination ensures that one part is ready when the next part is built. Budgeting also matters because unfinished links require their own approved work and resources.

At Umardha, the Setu Nirman Vibhag completed the bridge and short approaches under its contract. Its report identified two additional stretches: about 1,200 metres in Narsinghpur and 1,500 metres in Narmadapuram. The longer roads were outside its assignment, so another agency must be selected.

The state government has not yet decided who will carry out that work. The PWD and PMGSY have been suggested as possible agencies, but no assignment is confirmed. Until responsibility, funding, and construction are aligned, the bridge remains disconnected. The case shows how unclear coordination can delay the public benefit of a completed project.

This brief was written by AI from the original reporting and checked by other models. Names, figures and quotes come from the source; read it for full context.