Chenab Bridge Project Engineer's New Post On "Unnecessary" Fame

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Chenab Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, the world's highest railway arch bridge, last Friday. As the nation celebrated the feat, Professor G Madhavi Latha, a long-time contributor, credited thousands of "unsung heroes" and urged people not to make her "unnecessarily famous."
"I salute the millions of unsung heroes," said Dr Latha, who was a geotechnical consultant to Afcons, the engineering firm that constructed the bridge. "My role was to help in developing slope stabilisation schemes and design of foundations on slope," she added in a message on LinkedIn shared after the inauguration.
Dr Latha, who has been involved with the Chenab Bridge for 17 years, spoke about the headlines that described her as the "woman behind the mission" and one who performed "miracles to build the bridge". She called them "baseless."
"Please don't make me unnecessarily famous," she said. "I am one of the thousands who deserve appreciation for Chenab Bridge."
Currently attending a conference in Spain, the professor from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, thanked those who sent congratulatory messages. "Many fathers have written to me saying that they want their daughters to become like me. Many young kids have written to me that they now want to take up Civil Engineering as their career choice," she said.
"All glory belongs to Indian Railways," she said and appreciated the Indian Railways and Afcons for their execution of what many called an impossible task.
A leading geotechnical engineer, Dr G Madhavi Latha is a Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) professor at the IISc, Bengaluru.
Construction of the Chenab Bridge, part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL), faced significant challenges due to difficult terrain, seismic risks, and unpredictable geology. Dr Latha and her team helped the project navigate these complexities with a "design-as-you-go" approach.
This meant adapting to real-time findings like fractured rocks and hidden cavities, factors that earlier surveys had missed. Dr Latha provided guidance on rock anchor design and slope stability, elements crucial for a structure of this scale.
She also detailed her technical journey in a paper titled 'Design as You Go: The Case Study of Chenab Railway Bridge', published in the Indian Geotechnical Journal's special women's issue.
Standing 359 metres above the Chenab River, the bridge rises 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower. Indian Railways built it at a cost of Rs 1,486 crore, making it the tallest railway arch bridge in the world. The government calls it the biggest civil-engineering challenge Indian Railways has ever tackled. Engineers expect the bridge to significantly boost connectivity in the Kashmir Valley, calling it a once-in-a-lifetime project.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

United News of India

10 minutes ago

• United News of India

Nitish inaugurates Patna-Raghopur bridge, first phase of Kachchi Dargah-Bidupur six-lane Ganga Bridge Project

Patna, June 23 (UNI) Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today inaugurated the Patna-Raghopur connecting bridge, part of the Kachchi Dargah-Bidupur six-lane Ganga Bridge Project, being constructed at a cost of Rs 4,988 crore. After inaugurating the bridge here, Kumar instructed the authorities concerned for early completion of the rest of the construction work of the project. While interacting with the people, the Chief Minister said that his government was continuously working for development of the area. He said the six-lane green field bridge project of total length of 19.76 km was being constructed on the Ganga river, between Kachchi Dargah situated on National Highway No. 30 in Patna district and Bidupur situated on National Highway No. 103 in Vaishali district. A 9.76 km long bridge and 10 km long approach roads were being constructed at a total cost of Rs 4,988 crore. He said the construction work from Kachchi Dargah, Patna to Raghopur Diara, Vaishali (total length 4.57 km) was completed in the first phase. With completion of this work, the people of Raghopur Diara region will get good road connectivity with the capital Patna throughout the year. The CM said that earlier, transportation in the Raghopur region was possible only by boat. He further said that roads were bring constructed from Hajipur to Mahanar to Chaksikandar in the second phase, and from Raghopur Diara to Hajipur-Mahanar under the third phase. The CM said that 85 percent of the project has been finished and the rest would be completed at an accelerated pace. The CM said the Kachchi Dargah Bidupur six-lane Ganga bridge would provide road connectivity throughout the year to the people of Raghopur Diara region with the capital Patna. Agriculture, industry and other businesses will also develop rapidly in this region. Patients will get a lot of convenience in case of emergency medical treatment. He said that the traffic load on Mahatma Gandhi Setu has also reduced and people have got another alternative route for connectivity between North Bihar and South Bihar. He said that people will also get relief from the traffic jams in Patna city. With the construction of this bridge, people will be able to travel easily to various places in North Bihar from outside Patna city, he added. The CM later inspected the under-construction Link Road connecting Kachchi Dargah-Bidupur six-lane Ganga Bridge with JP Ganga path. UNI RS RN

Hans India

10 minutes ago

• Hans India

FM Sitharaman directs CBDT to cut pendency in grievance redressal mechanisms

New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday directed the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to significantly reduce pendency in grievance redressal mechanisms such as CPGRAMS and e-Nivaran pertaining to the department. She also emphasised that prompt and time-bound disposal of taxpayer grievances is essential for ensuring responsive governance. Chairing the Conclave of Principal Chief Commissioners of Income-tax here, the minister was apprised about key performance indicators. Out of the total 160,229 grievances (CPGRAMS and E-nivaran) for FY 2025-26, 1,31,844 grievances were resolved (up to 17.06.2025), leading to 82.28 per cent disposal. Refunds issued for FY 2025-26 (as on June 19) saw 58.04 per cent annual growth, showing better taxpayer services Rs 23,376 crore refunds issued on account of Order Giving Effects and Rs 10,496 crore refunds issued on rectification in FY2025-26. Out of the pending 5.77 lakh appeals, over 2.25 lakh appeals are targeted for completion in FY 2025-26, addressing over Rs 10 lakh crore of disputed demand, the minister was informed during the meeting. Around 4,605 cases were withdrawn after the monetary limits were raised in 2024, and in around 3,120 cases, appeals were not filed as the monetary limits for filing appeals were increased. Sitharaman noted that CBDT has undertaken several significant reforms in recent years, particularly in faceless assessment, e-verification system, tax exemptions & changes in slab rates , and digital service delivery. She called for further consolidation of these reforms to deliver tangible benefits to taxpayers. The Finance Minister directed all Principal Chief Commissioners of Income Tax to prioritise and accelerate the disposal of disputed tax demands that are currently pending before the faceless appellate authorities. This is aimed at reducing litigation backlog and ensuring timely resolution, thereby enhancing taxpayer trust in the system. She instructed that all departmental appeals falling below the revised monetary thresholds as notified in recent policy changes be identified and withdrawn within a period of three months. As per the announcements in the Union Budget 2024-25, the monetary thresholds for filing tax dispute appeals by the department were enhanced as follows: For Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT): Increased from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 60 lakh; for High Courts: Increased from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore; and for Supreme Court: Increased from Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore. During the conclave, Sitharaman emphasised the need for the timely processing of tax refunds and the proactive resolution of taxpayer grievances.

Time of India

29 minutes ago

• Time of India

Min opens silo warehouse for grains

Khagaria: Union minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution and new & renewable energy, Pralhad Joshi, on Monday inaugurated a state-of-the-art grain silo warehouse in Pasraha village, around 25km from Khagaria district headquarters. Built at an estimated cost of Rs 150 crore, the silo has a storage capacity of 50,000 metric tonnes and is the fifth of its kind in Bihar. Joshi said the facility, developed under the Food Corporation of India's vision, will be a boon for small and marginal farmers, offering long-term grain storage and reducing post-harvest losses through mechanised handling. He called it a significant step in boosting agri-logistics and supporting PM Narendra Modi's mission to modernise agricultural infrastructure and double farmers' income. Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, LJP(RV) MP Rajesh Verma and MLA Pannalal Singh Patel were present at the event.