Girish Bharadwaj had built over 140 hanging foot bridges, mainly for rural connectivity, in different parts of India.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Girish Bharadwaj, the architect of hanging foot bridges built across India, passed away at a private hospital in Sullia, in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, on July 7.
He was 76. He is survived by two sons and a daughter. His wife had pre-deceased him.
The Union Government had honoured him with the ‘Padma Shri’ award in 2017 for building over 140 hanging foot bridges, mainly for rural connectivity, in different parts of the country. He was popularly called ‘Bridge Man’ of India.
Girish Bharadwaj receiving the Padma Shri from former president Pranab Mukherjee, at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit:
Sandeep Saxena
Known for building low-cost and eco-friendly hanging bridges, 120 of his 140 hanging foot bridges connected people in rural areas. The remaining bridges served the interests of tourism.
Bharadwaji had received a number of awards, including Dr. Kota Shivarama Karantha Huttoora Prashasthi instituted by Dr. Shivaram Karanth Huttoora Prashasthi Prathistana, Kota, Udupi district.
While speaking to presspersons at a programme organised by Mangaluru Press Club in Mangaluru in December 2024, he stated that only a few engineering graduates were keen on learning his hanging bridge technique.
“No engineering student has come forward to toil hard on the ground to acquire the skill of laying cost-effective and sturdy hanging bridges that continue to be the lifeline for rural connectivity,” Bharadwaj had said.
Published – July 07, 2026 10:06 am IST
