Bhopal/Jabalpur, February 23 Amidst a controversy over the collapse of the railway overbridge on the Bhopal-Jabalpur National Highway, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) clarified on Monday that "the section of road in question does not fall under its jurisdiction".
NHAI's Project Director (Jabalpur), Amrit Sahu, in an official statement, said that the road was constructed by the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC), and that the corporation was also responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the section where the incident occurred.
"There are misleading claims that the road under question was constructed by the NHAI. The fact is that MPRDC is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the section where the incident occurred. Therefore, the NHAI is not responsible for the construction and maintenance work related to this route," the NHAI statement to IANS said.
Notably, a portion of the bridge over the railway crossing near Shahpura on the national highway connecting Jabalpur to Bhopal collapsed on the evening of February 22, sparking a political controversy in Madhya Pradesh.
According to reports, this is the same bridge whose second lane was damaged in December 2025.
Since then, traffic has been operating on one lane while repairs/construction work was underway on the other lane.
This new damage has occurred in the section currently under construction.
The Opposition Congress has taken this incident as an opportunity to criticize the BJP-led state government, saying that a bridge worth 400 crore rupees collapsed within three years.
The Congress said that the collapse of the railway overbridge on Bhopal-Jabalpur National Highway-45 was an example of corruption and negligence under the current BJP government in the state.
"This bridge, built at a cost of Rs 400 crore, was completed just three years ago. I demand a high-level judicial inquiry into the entire matter, an immediate FIR against the culprits, and the construction company blacklisted to ensure the recovery of public funds," State Congress President Jitu Patwari wrote on social media platform X.
Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Umang Singhar, speaking to media persons at the Madhya Pradesh Assembly premises on Monday, said that the State Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Rakesh Singh should issue a statement on this matter.
The half portion (one section) of this bridge collapsed in December last year, and since then, traffic was limited to one lane while the construction agency was carrying out repairs.
Meanwhile, another section of the bridge caved in, prompting the state administration to close the road for safety reasons.
This bridge was built to ease traffic pressure at the Shahpura railway crossing.