Mangaluru (Karnataka), July 7 -- Padma Shri awardee Girish Bharadwaj, the legendary engineer popularly known as the "Bridge Man of India" for transforming rural connectivity through affordable suspension bridges, passed away at a private hospital in Sullia in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district on Tuesday following age-related illness. He was 76.
Bharadwaj carved a unique place in India's infrastructure landscape by building more than 140 low-cost suspension footbridges across Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana and Odisha, providing safe and reliable access to thousands of people living in remote villages cut off by rivers and streams.
His innovative engineering solutions dramatically reduced travel time for rural communities and ensured unin...