Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A part of road caved in on the busy Shastri Bridge in Indore. Reason: Rats dug up their burrows under the bridge, causing a five-foot-deep crater on the road.
According to NDTV, the incident took place on Sunday near the Punjab National Bank stretch of the bridge, one of the city’s oldest flyovers.
Officials from the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) said rats had dug several burrows under the structure, hollowing out the soil. The loose ground caved in, leaving a large hole in the road.
Traffic was light at that time, and no one was hurt.
Police quickly barricaded the area and diverted vehicles to other routes to avoid any accidents.
On Monday, teams from IMC, the Public Works Department, and engineers from Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science (SGSITS) carried out an emergency inspection. They filled the crater and found more than 20 rat tunnels beneath the bridge.
Public Works in-charge Rajendra Rathore said the damaged section was built nearly 30 years ago and had become weak over time. “The slab was old and had decayed. Rats made burrows through it, which worsened the damage,” he explained.
He also said a tea stall was earlier set up near that spot, and leftover food and religious offerings attracted rats. “The rodents even entered the drainage holes. We are now redesigning the footpath and drainage system to stop them from returning,” he added.
Officials admitted this was not the first time the issue had come up. Around ten months ago, during earlier repair work, over 200 rat holes were found in the same bridge. However, no permanent steps were taken to fix the problem.
Built almost 70 years ago, Shastri Bridge has become a reminder of how small issues, like unchecked rats, can turn into big dangers when civic maintenance is ignored.
