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Rat Burrows Blamed as Indore’s Shastri Bridge Section Caves In

An emergency inspection found extensive rat tunnels beneath the aging span.

Overview

  • A five-foot-deep hole opened near the footpath on the stretch toward Shastri Market and the Punjab National Bank area on Sunday morning.
  • On Monday, teams from the Indore Municipal Corporation, the Public Works Department, and SGSITS filled the crater and recorded more than 20 tunnels below the slab.
  • Public Works in-charge Rajendra Rathore said rodents hollowed the soil and that the decades-old slab had deteriorated over time.
  • Police barricaded the location and diverted traffic to alternate routes, and no injuries were reported.
  • Officials plan to redesign drainage and the footpath to deter rodents, noting a prior finding of over 200 rat holes about ten months ago and long-standing recommendations to replace the narrow 1950s-era bridge.