AP CM Chandrababu Naidu praises Madhavi Latha for her contributions and engineering marvel
AMARAVATI, JUNE 09, 2025: Another Telugu daughter, Gali Madhavi Latha, Professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) Bengaluru, has made India proud for her major contribution in the construction of the engineering marvel, Chenab bridge, for 17 years as a geotechnical consultant.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has words of praise for Professor Madhavi Latha, who dedicated 17 years of her life to helping build the world’s highest railway bridge. Naidu, who referred to her as “Telugu daughter”, lauded her role in creating the architectural marvel. He also congratulated the team of engineers and construction workers who made the unprecedented project a reality.
“Another Telugu daughter has made India proud!” wrote Naidu on Twitter (now X). He added, “Hailing from a small village in Andhra Pradesh, she dedicated 17 years of hard work and sacrifice to build this architectural marvel for the nation.” Naidu also “saluted” professor Latha who he hailed as one of the “brilliant minds” behind the bridge constructed over the Chenab River.
The Chenab Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir is the highest bridge in the world and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (June 6). The project is part of the 272 km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL), which was approved in 2003.
One of the major contributors to the construction of the engineering marvel is Dr G Madhavi Latha, a professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru. She was involved for 17 years in the Chenab Bridge project as a geotechnical consultant.
Latha worked closely with Afcons, the contractor of the bridge, in the planning, design and construction of the structure, focusing on the obstacles due to the terrain.
Madhavi Latha is currently a HAG professor at IISc. She completed her B.Tech in Civil Engineering in 1992 from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, where she achieved first class with distinction.
She then bagged a gold medal as an M.Tech student at the National Institute of Technology, Warangal with a specialisation in Geotechnical Engineering. Further, Latha completed her doctorate from IIT-Madras in 2000 in Geotechnical Engineering.
She has received several awards over the years, including the Best Woman Geotechnical Researcher award by the Indian Geotechnical Society in 2021. She was also named in the Top 75 Women in STEAM of India in 2022.
Role In Chenab Bridge Project
The bridge is an extremely challenging project due to the adverse topography, weather conditions and remote location.
Latha’s team adopted a “design-as-you-go approach” to overcome the obstacles. They innovated in real time based on geological conditions such as fractured rocks, hidden cavities, and varying rock properties, which were not evident in early surveys.
The team made complex calculations and design modifications to work around the actual rock mass conditions they found during the construction. Latha’s contributions included advice on the design and placement of rock anchors to improve stability.
She has recently published a paper in the Indian Geotechnical Journal’s women’s special issue titled “Design as You Go: The Case Study of Chenab Railway Bridge.”e paper describes how the design of the bridge has evolved continuously, with the overall structure, location and type being the only constants to suit the geological conditions of the site.
The Chenab Bridge, described as the “biggest civil-engineering challenge faced by any railway project in India in recent history” by the government, is built for Rs 1,486 crore. The 359-metre bridge is taller than the Eiffel Tower by 35 metres. It is set to improve connectivity in the Kashmir valley.
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