 Early Times Report
Jammu, June 7: A female professor of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, dedicated as many as 17 years to complete the project of constructing the world’s tallest railway bridge on the mighty river of Chenab in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Professor G Madhavi Latha is one of the important players in the successful construction and completion of the Chenab bridge. A professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru, she was part of the Chenab Bridge project for 17 years and was the geotechnical consultant.
“We are proud of Prof Madhavi Latha and her team's contribution to the Chenab Bridge inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The team worked on the stability of slopes, design and construction of foundations, design of slope stabilisation systems, including rock anchors to withstand hazards”, IISc Bengaluru posted on its social media handle.
The world's tallest railway bridge, constructed over the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, stands as a monumental achievement in civil engineering. Among the key contributors to this historic project was Professor G. Madhavi Latha of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, who dedicated 17 years to ensuring its successful completion.
Prof. Latha played a crucial role as the geotechnical consultant, advising on the stability of slopes, foundation design, and rock anchor systems to counter the region's hazardous terrain. The IISc Bengaluru, in a statement on social media, expressed pride in her contributions, noting the team's relentless efforts in overcoming geological challenges.
The Chenab Bridge, formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 8, is part of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL), a critical infrastructure project first approved in 2003. The bridge, standing at 359 meters, surpasses the Eiffel Tower by 35 meters, making it the tallest railway bridge in the world.
Prof. Latha collaborated closely with Afcons, the contractor for the project, utilizing a "design-as-you-go" approach to adapt to the unexpected geological conditions encountered during construction. Her expertise helped refine the placement and engineering of rock anchors, which enhance the bridge’s stability against natural hazards.
A distinguished academic, Prof. Latha holds a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, followed by an M.Tech in Geotechnical Engineering from NIT Warangal, where she earned a gold medal. She later completed her PhD in Geotechnical Engineering at IIT Madras in 2000.
Her work has garnered multiple accolades, including the Best Woman Geotechnical Researcher award (2021) from the Indian Geotechnical Society, and recognition as one of India’s Top 75 Women in STEAM (2022). She recently published a paper in the Indian Geotechnical Journal detailing the "Design as You Go" approach used in the Chenab Bridge project.
Constructed at a cost of Rs 1,486 crore, the bridge has been described by the government as "the largest civil-engineering challenge for any railway project in India in recent times." The Chenab Bridge is expected to significantly improve connectivity in the Kashmir valley, marking a milestone in India's railway infrastructure development. |
