Archive · 25 Nov 2025
India's First Woman Civil Engineer Revolutionized Bridge Design
Shakuntala Bhagat was India's first woman civil engineer.
She graduated in 1953 and started teaching at IIT Bombay.
She and her husband started a company called Quadricon and invented a new way to build bridges quickly and easily.
They built 69 bridges across India using their special system.
Many of these bridges are still used today.
Shakuntala was honored for her work and passed away in 2012.
Her bridges help people travel safely in tough places.
Shakuntala Bhagat was India's first woman civil engineer, graduating in 1953.
She and her husband founded Quadricon and invented the 'Unishear Connector' for modular bridge construction.
Built 69 bridges across India using their patented system, many still in use today.
Her work focused on solving real problems in challenging terrains, like Spiti and Arunachal Pradesh.
She was honored with the highest award from the Invention Promotion Board in 1972 and 'Woman of the Year' in 1993.
- Who
- Shakuntala Bhagat, India's first woman civil engineer
- What
- Designed and built bridges using a modular system
- When
- Graduated in 1953, built bridges in the 1970s, passed away in 2012
- Where
- India, particularly remote regions like Spiti and Arunachal Pradesh
- Why
- To solve real, urgent problems faced by people, especially in challenging terrains
- Name
- Shakuntala Bhagat
- Degree
- Civil Engineering from Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute (VJTI)
- Year of Graduation
- 1953
- Company Founded
- Quadricon
- Innovation
- Unishear Connector
- Bridges Built
- 69 bridges across India
- Awards
- Highest honour from the Invention Promotion Board (1972), 'Woman of the Year' (1993)
- Legacy
- More than 200 Quadricon steel bridges still in use