Collapsed Vadodara bridge was a disaster-in-waiting: What such recurring mishaps in Gujarat tell
Local media spoke to fisherman Narendra Mali, working near the bridge on the morning of the collapse. He described a chilling scene: a loud cracking noise followed by vehicles plummeting one after another into the Mahisagar. 'We turned our boats towards the vehicles and started efforts to rescue people,' Mali recounted. But most passengers could not be saved.Rescue operations were swift but harrowing. More than 20 fire personnel, a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and another from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), two fire boats, three fire tenders, more than 10 ambulances and over five medical teams reached the site for relief and rescue. They used boats and divers to pull survivors from the wreckages.Cranes were deployed to retrieve submerged vehicles while authorities cordoned off the area to prevent further accidents. Vadodara collector Anil Dhameliya confirmed nine bodies had been recovered. One of the injured died within a few hours, taking the toll to 10. The collapse sparked sharp criticism from leaders of Opposition parties, who pointed to systemic neglect and corruption. Amit Chavda, who is the leader of the Congress legislative party in Gujarat, demanded accountability. 'We had demanded from the government [in 2017] that the bridge be closed to heavy vehicles due to its deteriorating condition,' he charged on social media.The Congress, in a broader statement, described the incident as a reflection of 'corruption and decay behind the Gujarat Model', alleging rampant mismanagement in infrastructure projects. Despite warnings from local people and past demands from the Congress to restrict heavy vehicles, the bridge remained operational without significant upgrades.The BJP government's claim of periodic maintenance, as stated by health minister Rushikesh Patel, rings hollow against residents' accounts of ignored pleas.Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal demanded answers from the BJP. 'Will the BJP, which has been in power in Gujarat for the last 30 years, explain how such shoddy and life-threatening bridges keep getting built in Gujarat, which collapse so easily? The common people have to pay the price of this negligence and corruption, protected by those in power, with their lives,' he posted on social media.advertisementGujarat has had a troubling history of bridge failures, underscoring a pattern of inadequate maintenance and oversight. The collapse of the Morbi pedestrian bridge on October 30, 2022, a month before assembly elections, had killed 135 people and injured 56. The bridge, renovated by clock-making firm Orpat, had reopened without a clearance certificate from the local authorities, which had raised serious allegations about corruption and government oversight. The Gujarat government's response—prompt rescue and compensation—however lacked a clear commitment to systemic reform.In October 2023, two people died when a section of an under-construction railway overbridge collapsed in Palanpur town in Banaskantha district. In June 2023, a portion of a ready-to-inaugurate bridge over Mindhola river in Tapi district in south Gujarat collapsed, reporting no loss of life but sending shockwaves as it was to open for vehicular traffic soon.In September that year, one person was killed and at least a dozen others were injured after a concrete slab that covered a drain channel caved in when a crowd had gathered for darshan at a Ganesh pandal nearby. Twenty people fell into the drain. The incident created a scare in the city during festive season.advertisementLast August, a bridge over the Bhogavo river collapsed, and in November, a temporary structure at the bullet train project site in Anand collapsed, killing two people. Incidents like these collapses with fewer deaths should act as a stern wake-up call of the close shave and the catastrophe that could have been. Even as investigations and cases drag on in courts, administrative accountability is not fixed. Subscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
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Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Cosmo Para Salt Lake
1 2 3 4 5 6 In the early summer of 1962, a stretch of marshland on the eastern edge of Kolkata began its transformation into what would become one of Bengal's most iconic urban experiments. Guided by the vision of then chief minister Bidhan Chandra Roy, a planned township was carved out from the shallow waters of a vast salt lake — reclaimed cell by cell with slurry pumped from the Hooghly. This land would come to be known as Bidhannagar, or, more famously, Salt Lake. By the early 1970s, the first residents began to arrive — teachers, clerks, govt officers, and professionals — drawn by the promise of clean streets, planned roads, open spaces and quiet living. The timing coincided with a tumultuous historical moment: during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, Sector II of Salt Lake temporarily housed over a lakh refugees. Soon after, the township hosted the Congress party's national session. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi stayed in the newly built guest house, later renamed Indira Bhavan, which eventually became the home of CPI(M) patriarch and former CM Jyoti Basu. Through the 1980s and into the '90s, Salt Lake's reputation began to crystallize. With 64 blocks and five sectors, it wasn't just a satellite township any more — it was the address to be at. While the rest of Kolkata struggled with crumbling infrastructure and narrow lanes, Salt Lake represented vision, order and quiet affluence. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Each block was carefully planned, complete with parks, community markets, and housing plots that came with their own garages. The concept of "para" evolved into something more sophisticated: neighbours gathered in well-maintained parks, shopped at clean markets that were zoned, and bonded over morning walks and evening adda sessions in open fields. Residents recall those years with unmistakable fondness. "When we moved here in 1985, it felt like a different country," said Kalyan Chakraborty (80), a former state govt employee and one of the oldest residents of Salt Lake. "Wide roads, green cover, no hawkers cluttering the pavements. It was peaceful and elegant — something Kolkata wasn't." Chandra Mukherjee of AC Block echoed the sentiment: "In the '90s, this was a power address. Ministers, bureaucrats, film stars — everyone who mattered had a house in Salt Lake." Indeed, under the Left Front regime, Bidhannagar became the nerve centre of political power. Former CM Basu resided here, as did cabinet members like former sports minister Subhas Chakraborty and former finance minister Asim Dasgupta. Their presence turned Salt Lake into a fortress of authority and sophistication. It was not uncommon to spot top actors, academics, and senior officials mingling in neighbourhood events or catching an early morning walk around the stadium. Civic infrastructure kept pace. The township boasted of an international-standard football stadium — Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan — as well as City Centre mall, a dedicated fairground, and its own swimming pool. Add to that well-planned roads separated by traffic islands, a healthy drainage system, clean water supply and strict building regulations that limited height and prevented congestion, Salt Lake was held up as the model for future Indian urbanism. But like all cities built on dreams, Salt Lake, too, has seen its foundations shift. Over the last 15 years, a slow but steady transformation has taken hold. The children of the original settlers, now professionals in their 30s and 40s, have increasingly moved away — either to other Indian cities or abroad. Left behind are elderly parents, large family homes, and a township gradually hollowing from within. "In most big houses, elderly residents live alone," said Gora Roy, secretary of CF Block residents' association. "Their children live elsewhere and elderly couples are left all by themselves. Many have even moved away with their children, leaving the homes empty." To make practical use of these oversized homes — and to generate income — many residents have converted their ground floors into commercial spaces. Cafes, boutiques, coaching centres, salons and clinics have popped up across blocks. While this has infused Salt Lake with a buzz of activity, it has also opened the doors to more dubious enterprises. In recent years, the township has made headlines for the wrong reasons: fake call centres operating out of residential homes, shady spas, and other illegal set-ups that exploit the lax enforcement in what was once a tightly regulated space. Police crackdowns are now routine and one of the primary jobs of cops now is to check on elderly residents. Adding to this churn is a demographic shift. An increasing number of non-Bengali-speaking families have bought into the township. Older stand-alone houses have been sold, demolished, and replaced by apartment blocks. The skyline is rising but so is the density — and, in some cases, the friction. The once homogenous Bengali para is now more diverse, but also less cohesive. But with commercial interest intensifying, and property rates soaring, enforcement remains patchy. The township, once proud of its uniformity and restraint, now finds itself grappling with the pressures of unregulated growth. Still, there is hope. Salt Lake remains one of the greenest and most infrastructure-rich areas in the greater Kolkata region. Its community parks, while less populated than before, continue to serve as gathering points. The local markets — despite facing competition from malls and online platforms — retain a loyal base of customers. And in quiet corners, some para traditions endure: a shared cup of tea at dusk, neighbourhood Durga Pujas, a Sunday trip to the fishmonger. "During the first few decades, there was no para culture in Salt Lake as people from outside came up and started living here. Slowly, the block associations came up and a community bonding developed. Now, every block has its own para culture with everyone feeling included," said Kumar Shankar Sadhu, former secretary of Bidhannagar welfare association. Salt Lake has never just been about buildings, boulevards, water tanks and traffic islands. It's always been about people — coming together, making a para their own, and turning the township into home.
News18
3 days ago
- News18
India's Crumbling Bridges: A Nightmare That Must Stop Forthwith
As is the case with most disasters in Bharat today, ill-equipped villagers from the nearby area were the first to take on the challenge of the rescue and relief operations before the team of NDRF, SDRF and fire brigade reached the site. Ironically, but for an eight-wheeled tanker precariously hanging like a Damocles' Sword tethering at the brink of the ill-fated bridge, more vehicles could have drowned in the river, resulting in a much bigger casualty. The rescue and relief operations continued on the fourth day after the collapse of the Gambhira Bridge over the Mahi River in Padra taluka. Though the rescue teams with great difficulty have managed to retrieve all the vehicles from the riverbed, there is no final word yet on the rescued injured and the retrieval of the bodies of the dead from beneath the river. The rescue and relief work was rendered extremely difficult with the recovery operations hindered by the incessant rains and thick mud in the riverbed. Casualties On Wednesday, the day of the accident, the original casualty number reported was 12 dead, including three from a family. Also, 9 injured people were saved by the rescuers. By the time I began writing this piece on July 10, the number of dead had jumped to 18. When I was close to finishing the piece on July 11, the number of dead climbed to 20 with the recovery of one more body and the death of an injured person. As I conclude the piece on July 12, the number of dead has climbed to 21, with one more death. Sadly, even this is not likely to be the final number of casualties because at least two more persons are missing. The Root Cause It is too early to say with a reasonable degree of confidence why and how the Gambhira bridge collapsed. Nonetheless, one palpable reason is evident: the bridge was constructed in another era, 1985 to be precise. In those days, two-axle trucks, smaller light commercial vehicles, and lighter passenger vehicles plied Indian roads and highways, and a bridge constructed then was unfit for handling the fast-growing movement of multi-axle trucks, trailers and tankers, and passenger automobiles. That being the case, the Gambhira bridge collapse was just waiting to happen. But why did the bridge collapse? It will take time to unravel the root cause of the collapse. It is possible, like most bridge collapses in the country, that the root cause may not be known or may not be made public even if known. In the interim, Rushikesh Patel, Gujarat Health Minister and government spokesperson, stated on Friday, July 11, that as per the preliminary investigation, the collapse of the Mujpur-Gambhira bridge was due to the structural failure, specifically the crushing of pedestals and articulation joints. But the moot question that begs an answer is why too many bridges in Bharat keep tumbling down with alarming frequency? I will address this question in a short while. Before that, here in brief are the rituals that are performed after every major accident. Rituals Completed As happens in the aftermath of every such tragic accident, the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, and others have expressed shock at the unfortunate accident and expressed their condolences to the affected families. Also, true to their salt, the opposition parties of all hues have squarely blamed the government for the mishap. A spokesman of the Congress party has gone to the extent of asserting that the 'hollow Gujarat Model is another name for corruption". advetisement With rituals of expressing shock, offering condolences and the blame game for the accident done with, it is time for yet another ritual—the customary ex gratia announcement to the accident victims. Pricing the Lives Lost Next comes the existential question—how much worth is the life of hapless victims of such accidents, whose only fault was that they were crossing the bridge constructed, managed, and maintained by governments? Make no mistake, the innocent victims are not responsible for their deaths in accidents like the latest bridge collapse. Whether their gruesome death was owing to the structural flaws in the bridge or improper maintenance, indubitably, the blame squarely rests with the government departments responsible for keeping them in safe, usable conditions. Above being the case, what should be the reasonable compensation payable to the victims, both dead and severely injured? The governments have put the price of life lost to a paltry sum of Rs 6 lakh to the next of the dead—Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's relief fund and Rs 4 lakh from the Gujarat government. As regards the injured, irrespective of the severity of injuries, the compensation to be dispensed is an abysmal Rs 1 lakh (Rs 50,000 each from the central and the state governments). advetisement I often wonder, is this the fair value of the life of innocent Bharatiyas whose death or injury is caused by the negligence of governmental authorities? I admit that no amount of monetary compensation can replace the life lost, dreams shattered, and families driven to penury, but I get genuinely baffled by the prevailing situation in Bharat for a valid reason. Here goes my reason: victims of the latest Air India disaster at Ahmedabad will each receive Rs 1 crore from the Tata Group and almost the same amount from the insurance proceeds. Why does Bharat price the cost of human casualties by the type of mode of travel? It must end forthwith. It is time for a drastic overhaul of the current paradigm of the way the country values the cost of the lives of innocents dying with alarming frequency in eminently avoidable disasters on roads, highways, bridges, and railways. It is time to shift to a just and fair compensation regime. Case Closed Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has ordered a high-level enquiry to be conducted by the State's Roads and Buildings Department. The committee must submit its report directly to the CM within 30 days. In the interim, four junior engineers (executive engineers and assistant engineers) have been suspended. The bridge collapse story from the breaking news on TV channels and front-page coverage in the print media has already exited the media coverage till the next such accident happens somewhere in the country. Going by the past track record of such major accidents in the country, I can say so with reasonable degree of confidence that nothing much will emerge from the inquiry (by the department which itself was responsible for the upkeep of the bridges), no accountability will be fixed, and no real punishment meted out. A case in point is the Morbi bridge collapse in 2022, in which 141 people lost their lives. While some individuals, including those from the contractor side, were arrested and charged in connection with the collapse, no one has been convicted or sentenced yet, and the case is ongoing. Many victims' families are still seeking justice and accountability. The above being the case of the more serious Morbi accident, it is reasonable to expect that, sooner rather than later, the Gambhira bridge accident too will be forgotten, and the case shall stand closed. Falling Again and Again I wish the Gambhira bridge collapse were an isolated event. Sadly, it is not the case. Only in Gujarat, at least six bridge collapses have been chronicled since 2021, with the latest accident next only to Morbi in scale of the disaster, casualties, and damage to property. Bridges continue to collapse in Bharat at an alarming frequency: some during construction, after completion, before inauguration, and during usage. A typical case is that of Bihar, where nearly 2 dozen bridges collapsed in two years between 2022 and 2024, out of which 14 collapsed in just one month in 2024. Though ten engineers were suspended (suspension is no punishment), no concrete measure was taken to prevent the frequent collapse of bridges. Bridge collapses are not confined to Bihar and Gujarat. Here are some more recent cases of 2025: First, on June 15, 2025, an iron pedestrian bridge over the Indrayani River collapsed near Pune, Maharashtra. At least four people died, and dozens were injured. The reason for the collapse was ascribed to the overloading of the British-era Bridge. Second, on May 3, 2025, at least three persons were killed and two others critically injured after a concrete slab fell on them during the construction of a bridge near Khannagar. The bridge was part of the six-lane road conversion from the Kathajodi riverside of NH-16 to Cuttack Netaji Bus Terminal (CNBT). There were many more cases in 2024, 2023, and 2022—for example, Mumbai Ghatkopar (17 dead in 2024), girder failure of an under-construction railway bridge in Mizoram (30 dead in 2023), and the most gruesome Morbi bridge collapse (141 killed in 2022). Moreover, the above is not even a partial story. Collapses Galore A study published in 2020 in the international journal Structure and Infrastructure Engineering reported that between 1977 and 2020, Bharat accounted for the collapse of more than 2,130 bridges (excluding culverts and pedestrian bridges), including many under construction. Alarmingly, the study further noted that while the average life of Indian bridges was 35 years, the global average was more than 50 years. At the same time, Indian bridges reported a 25 per cent higher mortality rate than the global average. Only God Knows The task of preventing bridge collapses begins with knowing how many bridges Bharat has, knowing their precise conditions through structural audits and frequent inspections and taking timely preventive and corrective measures. When Bharat does not count its bridges properly, how can it have the framework of robust maintenance? Bridge construction and maintenance in the country are in the hands of many institutions: the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Indian Railways, Border Road Organisation, State PWDs, city governments, and others. Worse, there is no uniform practice of inspection, structural audit and taking other measures to prevent bridges from collapsing. With each agency maintaining its own records in its own way, India lacks a unified database of bridges, making it almost impossible to have a composite picture of the total number of bridges and their condition. Nonetheless, here is an attempt to quantify the problem—as per GoI Press Information Bureau data, as on 01.04.2019, there were 1,50,74 Bridges on Indian Railways' network. Also, as per another GoI data reported by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, as on 1-1-2019, there were 1,72,517 bridges inventoried under the Indian Bridge Management System. If one adds the number of rail and road bridges constructed since 2019 and further adds up the bridges under state and city governments and organisations like BRO, it is highly probable that the country has no less than 500,000 bridges. Proper maintenance of 500,000 plus bridges in Indian conditions, where bridges are under continuous stress of fast-growing goods and passenger traffic (90 per cent of goods throughput and an equal percentage of passenger traffic) requires a robust maintenance paradigm and a move away from the 'Chalta Hai Attitude". Keeping Bridges Fighting Fit Bharat is today the most populous country in the world. It also boasts the world's second-largest urban population after China. The current urban population is more than one and a half times the total population of the USA. Also, the urban population will be 600 million by 2023 and 822-877 million by 2050. Also, the Indian economy is growing fast. By the end of 2025, Bharat will have the fourth largest economy, by 2028 the third largest economy of the world and by 2047, it aspires to be a developed economy. Bharat also aims to be the manufacturing capital of the world. That being the case, roads and rail bridges in India must manage more fast-growing goods and passenger traffic without the periodic shock of caving in. And to increase bridges' life, their ability to carry fast-increasing loads of traffic, the integrity and stability of the bridges must be enhanced many notches. The reasons for bridge collapses are well known. These include the design flaws including but not limited to inadequate load-bearing capacity, improper material selection, or faulty engineering calculations compromising the structural integrity of a bridge, poor construction material and poor workmanship, comprehensive maintenance neglect and lack of proper inspection and audit, lack of upgradation in time to handle increasing traffic, overloading, and natural causes like floods and extreme weather conditions that impact the integrity of the bridges.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
Northeast Delhi building collapse kills 6: Lane only 3-ft wide, rescuers form human chain to clear rubble
A pile of rubble haphazardly dumped into an alleyway as if it were a construction site — this was the first glimpse for a passerby on Saturday after a four-storey building fell to pieces in North East Delhi's Welcome area, killing six members of a family. For the rescue workers, one of the biggest challenges was navigating the alley, barely three feet wide, to reach the site of the incident. Another challenge was the use of heavy machinery, which could pose a risk to the closely packed buildings. The rescuers then had no option but to get down to the basics — clearing the rubble using bare hands. Along with the rescuers from the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), police officers, MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) workers, and locals formed a long human chain. The pieces of rubble were then passed from one person to another before being deposited into a lone wooden cart, parked outside the alley. At the same time, another team tried to remove an electricity pole, which had toppled due to the collapse, as it rested against a building. Fuzail Ansari, one of the residents, was jolted awake by a loud thud on Saturday morning. 'I came out and saw nothing but dust everywhere. I could see where the dust was coming from. I saw some people running out, but I knew there would be people stuck inside. So I took Allah's name and ran in,' he recalled. Aqil Ahmed, another resident, also ran out of his house into the dust cloud, hoping to offer help. 'What is the use of my body? It'll melt and rot inside a coffin in my grave one day. I might as well put it to some good use,' he said. As people in the human chain dumped rubble in the lone cart, two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) stood by, silently watching. 'We cannot take our trucks and JCBs into the narrow lane. The operation will have to be done manually. This is why we have two NDRF teams here, since we need more hands on deck,' a senior NDRF official said. The official explained that even handheld drill machines and cutters could not be used to cut through the rubble faster. 'Two neighbouring buildings have been affected. The walls of both buildings came down due to the collapse. If we use heavy machinery like drills, which emit loud vibrations, whatever is left will also come down. I cannot risk the lives of my men in such a situation,' he added. The official also pointed out that most of the buildings in the area were not built in compliance with the safety standards. 'There are buildings here that have four to five floors, and they don't have a single pillar supporting their ceilings. In such cases, those areas are highly dangerous to live in and there are higher risks of collapse,' he said.
