The 19th-Century Preconstruction Story of the Fitzgerald Bridge
Aditi Verma
“These challenges encompass staffing and budget constraints, loss of crucial data, urgency paired with delays, and inefficiencies in planning. The fluctuating administration during this transitional phase contributed to project delays as personnel changed hands, highlighting the complexities of bureaucratic infrastructure management in 19th-century colonial India.”
This paper delves into the bureaucratic and construction challenges encountered during the conceptualization of the Fitzgerald Bridge in the late 19th century. Drawing from a rich array of archival material housed in the archives of the Pune Division Public Works Office—including colonial records, engineering blueprints, and the Fitzgerald Bridge Project File, which comprises correspondence letters and tender/contract documents—the study probes the intricate dynamics
between the colonial administration and the engineers, both British and Indian.
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