Bajrang Setu Glass Footpath Cracks Again; PWD Faces Questions Over Construction Quality

Rishikesh has long been a city of bridges — literal and spiritual. But the Bajrang Setu, built to replace the beloved Lakshman Jhula that was shuttered on safety grounds in 2022, is raising uncomfortable questions before it has even seen its inauguration day.
For the third time, the glass panels lining the bridge’s footpath have cracked. Movement on both walkways has been suspended. And the Executive Engineer of the Narendra Nagar Division, when asked, offered only this: “I am not aware of this matter.”
The bridge cost the public exchequer approximately ₹69.20 crore. It stretches 132.30 metres over the Ganga, flanked by 1.5-metre-wide glass walkways — 65mm thick — designed to offer tourists and pilgrims a transparent, awe-inspiring view of the sacred river below. What they are offering instead is a recurring nightmare of shattered glass and suspended access.
What makes the situation more troubling is that Bajrang Setu has not been formally inaugurated. It has not been officially handed over to the public. And yet, for nearly two months, locals, domestic tourists, and international visitors have been walking across it — because no one stopped them. No personnel were deployed. No usage guidelines were issued. Tourists flocked to the glass panels for selfies. In January 2026, a panel near a selfie point shattered. By some mercy, no one fell through.
The historic Lakshman Jhula was closed because its cables had deteriorated beyond safe limits — a decision backed by an IIT Roorkee assessment. Rishikesh was promised a modern, safe, and worthy successor. What it has received, so far, is a ₹69 crore structure whose glass keeps breaking and whose overseers claim ignorance.
Dev Bhoomi deserves better than this.