**Executive Summary:**
This document is the response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3121 regarding building and bridge collapses, answered on August 7, 2025. It states that no such incidents occurred under the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) or central government hospitals. However, the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways (MoRTH) reports some bridge collapses on National Highways, detailed in the annexure. The document also outlines measures taken by CPWD and MoRTH to ensure structural safety and regular inspections.
**Key Points / Main Content:**
* **Building and Bridge Collapses:**
* No building collapses reported under CPWD or central government hospitals.
* MoRTH reported some bridge collapses on National Highways.
* **Bridge Collapse Statistics (Last 5 Years):**
* A total of 34 bridge collapses occurred on National Highways.
* 5 lives were lost due to these collapses.
* State-wise breakdown of collapses and fatalities provided in the Annexure (18 states/UTs affected).
* **Safety Measures by CPWD:**
* Infrastructure works executed based on approved structural drawings and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) codes.
* Regular inspections conducted as per CPWD Works Manual and Maintenance Manual.
* **Safety Measures by MoRTH:**
* Condition surveys of existing bridges during Detailed Project Report (DPR) preparation for National Highway development.
* Repair/rehabilitation/reconstruction of existing bridges as part of corridor development projects.
* Guidelines issued for bridge inspection and condition surveys, followed by appropriate repair/rehabilitation/reconstruction.
**Impact Analysis**
* **CPWD:**
* *Impact:* Reinforces the importance of adhering to established structural standards, regular inspections, and maintenance protocols.
* *Action Required:* Continue to enforce existing safety measures outlined in the CPWD Works Manual and Maintenance Manual.
* **Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways (MoRTH):**
* *Impact:* Highlights the need for continuous monitoring, maintenance, and rehabilitation of bridges on National Highways to minimize collapses and loss of life.
* *Action Required:* Adhere to issued guidelines for bridge inspection and condition surveys and undertake necessary repair/rehabilitation/reconstruction work.
* **Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS):**
* *Impact:* BIS codes are used by CPWD for infrastructure works
* *Action Required:* Continue working with CPWD to improve the standards for infrastructure works.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs: A ministry of the Government of India responsible for housing and urban development.
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Parliament of India, where the unstarred question was raised.
Central Public Works Department CPWD: A principal engineering organization under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, responsible for infrastructure works.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: A ministry of the Government of India responsible for health policy.
Ministry of Road, Transport Highways MoRTH: A ministry of the Government of India responsible for the development and maintenance of National Highways.
Bureau of Indian Standards BIS: The national standards body of India responsible for formulating standards for various products and services.
National Highway NH: Roads maintained by the central government.
Andhra Pradesh: A state in India where a bridge collapsed on a national highway.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3121
TO BE ANSWERED ON AUGUST 07, 2025
COLLAPSE OF BUILDINGS AND BRIDGES
NO. 3121. SHRI E T MOHAMMED BASHEER:
Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government is aware that many buildings including
hospitals have collapsed due to structural wear and tear which have
taken lives of several people;
(b) whether the Government has data on the number of buildings and
bridges that have collapsed across the country during each of the last
five years;
(c) if so, the details of such incidents including the number of casualties
and the damage caused, State-wise;
(d) the steps proposed to be taken by the Government to address this issue;
and
(e) the steps taken by the Government to strengthen structural safety
standards and ensure regular inspections to prevent such collapses in
the future?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE
MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
(SHRI TOKHAN SAHU)
(a) to (c): No such incidents occurred in works under Central Public
Works Department (CPWD), a principal engineering organization
under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Besides no such
incidents are reported to have occurred in central government
hospitals under the administrative control of Hospital Division of
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. However, as reported by
Ministry of Road, Transport & Highways (MoRTH), there have been
a few incidences of collapse of bridges on National Highways in
the country. The details of collapse of bridges during the last 5
years including the live lost are at Annexure.
…2/--2-
(d) & (e): All infrastructure works under CPWD are executed based on
approved vetted structural drawings as per relevant Bureau of Indian
Standards (BIS) codes and are regularly inspected as per provisions of
CPWD Works Manual & Maintenance Manual. As regards the bridges
maintained by MoRTH, they carry out condition survey of existing
bridges as part of preparation of detailed project report for National
Highway (NH) development works for a section of NH and
repair/rehabilitation/reconstruction of existing bridges are taken up as
part of corridor development project. MoRTH has also issued guidelines
for bridge inspection and condition survey of the existing bridges
followed by appropriate repair/rehabilitation/reconstruction based on
nature and severity of distresses.
*****Annexure
Annexure in reply to (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3121
regarding “Collapses of Buildings and Bridges” for answer on 07.08.2025
Details of Bridges Collapsed on National Highways during last 5 years
Name of the State Number of Bridges collapsed Number of loss of
S.No
/UT on NH life
1 Andhra Pradesh 1 0
2 Arunachal Pradesh 1 0
3 Assam 1 1
4 Bihar 4 2
5 Haryana 2 0
6 Himachal Pradesh 2 0
7 Karnataka 1 0
8 Madhya Pradesh 1 0
9 Maharashtra 2 0
10 Manipur 2 0
11 Meghalaya 2 0
12 Odisha 4 0
13 Sikkim 1 0
14 Tamil Nadu 3 1
15 Uttar Pradesh 1 0
16 West Bengal 4 0
17 Delhi 1 1
Jammu and
1 0
18 Kashmir
Total 34 5