Mahadeep Singh Jamwal
15th September is observed as Engineers’ Day in India to honour the legendary engineer, statesman, and visionary Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya. His pioneering contributions in irrigation, water management, flood control, and industrial growth laid the foundation for modern engineering in India. This day is not just a tribute to his genius, but also a reminder of the responsibility carried by every engineer-to design not only strong structures, but also sustainable solutions for society’s challenges. “Every structure they design is not just brick and steel-it is trust, safety, and the future of generations.” An engineer’s greatest achievement lies not only in building bridges across rivers, but also in bridging gaps between innovation and humanity.
Engineers transform visions into reality, and in doing so, they become the silent creators of a nation’s destiny.
Today, while we celebrate engineering brilliance, recent events compel us to ask: are we truly upholding his legacy, or merely paying lip service to it? “Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort.” – John Ruskin.
Engineers like Visvesvaraya do not just build structures; they build the future of a nation.” An engineer’s first responsibility is to public safety – never compromise it for cost or convenience.” Moreover innovation without integrity is a danger, not progress.” – Advisory
Engineers: Custodians of Safety and Progress: Engineers are not mere executors of contracts; they are builders of trust, safety, and progress. Empowering them to uphold integrity, innovation, and resilience in their work is the real tribute to their profession – and to the vision of M. Visvesvaraya.
The past months have witnessed alarming failures in infrastructure. The Birwan Bridge in Udhampur, the Sahar Bridge in Kathua, and the Fourth Bridge in Jammu are major collapses, yet they are only the tip of the iceberg. Across the country, there are hundreds of similar examples where bridges, roads, and buildings have failed prematurely, underscoring a systemic flaw that goes beyond isolated incidents.
Each collapse signals not just structural weakness but a failure of accountability, oversight, and ethical governance. Crumbling structures means crumbling trust.
From my decades of service in police and vigilance, I have seen firsthand how the obsession with the L1 (Lowest Bid) system – awarding contracts to the lowest bidder – compromises safety and quality.
The L1 Trap (Lowest Bid) is a system to compromise cost over Quality. In such projects, engineers are forced into a corner, either sign off on substandard work or risk administrative pushback.
What is saved in costs is paid for in human lives, public trust, and the integrity of our infrastructure. Cutting corners is often mistaken for efficiency, but it is negligence masquerading as prudence.
The solution is clear. From L1 to Quality-Based Procurement:
India must move decisively from L1 (Lowest Bid) to a Quality-Based Selection (QBS) system. Contracts should reward technical expertise, past performance, and adherence to safety standards, not merely the lowest quote. Accountability must run from the drawing board to execution, with robust oversight and independent audits at every stage. Only then can we ensure that tomorrow’s projects do not become today’s failures. Conclusion: A Call to Action: This Engineers’ Day, let us acknowledge a simple truth: a nation cannot be built on the lowest bid. Authorities must adopt quality-based selection for all projects, engineers must exercise professional courage without compromise, and monitoring mechanisms must be strengthened. Only then will our bridges, roads, and public works truly stand the test of time – and the spirit of Engineers’ Day genuinely be honoured.
Bhagwan Vishwakarma is revered in Hindu tradition as the divine architect and craftsman of the gods. He is regarded as the Adi Shilpkar (the first engineer, artisan, and creator of celestial weapons and cities) and is credited with building legendary cities such as Dwarka (for Krishna), Indraprastha (for the Pandavas), Lanka (for Ravana), and Swarg Lok (abode of Indra) have a message for our Engineers “Creation is the supreme duty of life. Even if resources are limited or circumstances are adverse, when there is devotion in work and discipline in thought, every impossible task becomes possible.
Structures built with truth, skill, and hard work alone stand eternal.
Whatever takes shape through your hands should become a foundation for the welfare of society-this is your true offering, and this is your sacred duty.”
Message on this day: To every engineer: Remember, you do not just construct buildings and bridges – you construct the future of a nation. Build wisely, build safely, and let your work stand as a legacy for generations. Build not only structures but confidence; for society rests its faith on your shoulders.
Engineers’ Day should not remain a day of ritual tributes. It must become a day of introspection. A day when every engineer, whether building a dam or a drainage system, must pause and pledge: “I shall not allow negligence to overshadow duty, nor greed to overpower ethics. My work shall be my nation’s strength, not its weakness.”
For in the end, an engineer does not merely shape structures-he shapes the destiny of a nation.
