Girish Bharadwaj, widely known as the “Bridge Man of India” for building footbridges for rural connectivity, dies at 76. Multiple outlets report that he passes away in Sullia, Karnataka, at a private hospital in the early hours of Tuesday following a brief illness, citing family sources. Bharadwaj, a mechanical engineer from Sullia in Dakshina Kannada district, spends more than three decades building suspension footbridges across rivers in several parts of India. Sources consistently say he constructs over 140 bridges, with many located in remote or inaccessible areas and designed to improve year-round access for rural communities.
Accounts note that his bridges help connect isolated villages to basic services such as schools, hospitals, and markets. One source states his first suspension bridge is built in 1989 across the Payaswini River, and his subsequent work expands across Karnataka, Kerala and other states. In 2017, the Union Government honours him with the Padma Shri for his contributions to rural connectivity and social service.
