Recurrent bridge collapses in West Bengal point out to the lack of coordinated institutional arrangements in the governance of bridge infrastructures in the state. Accountability in designing and construction, and supervision and maintenance, which strengthen different tiers of bridge governance system, are missing. Given the dearth of skilled workforce and the physical infrastructure for supervision, bridge maintenance is reduced to patchworks of painting railings and girders, without persistent evaluation of structural health and resultant repair or rehabilitation of infrastructure.
