Rat Infestation Causes 5-Foot-Deep Crater in Indore's Historic Shastri Bridge

Law enforcement quickly cordoned off the affected area and redirected traffic to alternative pathways.

Indore, recognized as Madhya Pradesh's economic hub and India's cleanest city, is once again making headlines for concerning reasons. Shortly after a disturbing incident where rats attacked newborns in a government hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), resulting in two fatalities, another alarming case of municipal negligence has emerged.

A five-foot-deep crater suddenly appeared on Shastri Bridge, one of Indore's most historic and heavily trafficked flyovers on Sunday. Officials have now confirmed that the cause wasn't excessive rainfall or construction defects, but rodent activity.

Initial reports indicate that when Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) personnel arrived for scheduled maintenance work, they discovered extensive rat burrows beneath the bridge that had hollowed out the foundation soil. The compromised earth collapsed, creating a substantial crater directly in front of the Punjab National Bank section of the bridge.

Fortunately, traffic volume was low when the incident occurred. Officials noted that had vehicles been moving during peak hours, the collapse could have triggered a serious accident. Police swiftly established barriers around the area and rerouted vehicles.

By Monday, the Municipal Corporation, together with engineers from Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science (SGSITS) and Public Works officials, conducted an urgent inspection and repaired the crater. Their examination revealed an alarming discovery—over 20 rat burrows were identified beneath the bridge structure.

Rajendra Rathore, the Public Works official in charge, explained that the affected section contained a 25 to 30-year-old slab that had deteriorated over time. "The slab had decomposed, and rats had tunneled through it, exacerbating the problem," he stated. Rathore mentioned that a tea stall previously located near the damaged section had left food waste that attracted rodents. "The rats even penetrated the V-pole drainage openings of the bridge," he acknowledged, adding that the footpath and drainage system would be redesigned to prevent future damage.

This isn't the first incident of this nature affecting the bridge. Ten months earlier, more than 200 rat burrows were discovered in the same structure during previous repair efforts. Despite this finding, no sustainable preventive measures were implemented.

Constructed nearly seven decades ago, Shastri Bridge now represents Indore's deteriorating municipal oversight, where rodents can compromise both infrastructure and accountability, demonstrating how one of India's supposedly "smartest" cities continues to struggle with managing fundamental threats.