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Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Gujarat bridge was ‘unfit for use'? Vadodara's death-bridge warnings were reportedly buried since 2021
The Gambhira Bridge collapse in Vadodara, resulting in 16 fatalities, exposes ignored warnings dating back to 2021 regarding its unsafe condition. Despite repeated alerts from local leaders and internal reports deeming the bridge unfit, authorities failed to take adequate action. The state government has initiated an investigation and sanctioned funds for reconstruction following the tragic incident. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The collapse of the Gambhira Bridge in Vadodara's Padra taluka on Wednesday, which left at least 15 dead, has brought to light a series of unheeded warnings and buried reports about the bridge's unsafe condition dating back to bridge, built in 1986 over the Mahi River between Mujpur and Gambhira villages, had been flagged multiple times by local leaders as structurally unsafe. Harshadsinh Parmar, a member of the Vadodara district panchayat from Mujpur, had written to the Roads and Buildings (R&B) department as early as 2021, urging authorities to declare the bridge unfit for traffic and initiate steps to build a replacement, reported August 2022, Parmar reiterated his concerns, warning that inaction could lead to loss of life. He also followed up with further representations after the Morbi bridge collapse in October 2022, which killed 135 people. Despite this, no significant action was taken. "There were vibrations in the pillars. I kept demanding that the inspection report be made public. All we were told was that the issue was under consideration," TOI quoted Parmar as Parmar's letters, a communication from the Vadodara district collector's office was sent to the executive engineer of the R&B department in 2022, asking for necessary steps to be taken. However, no public disclosure of the bridge's condition to these concerns, R&B department executive engineer N M Naykawala said after the collapse that a departmental report found no major faults in the structure. 'There was an issue with the bearings, which was addressed last year,' he RTI activist Lakhan Darbar disputed that claim, stating that an internal report had found the bridge 'unfit for use' in 2022. 'Despite repeated demands, the report was never shared with the public. The authorities let the bridge function for three years knowing it was unsafe,' Darbar said. 'Now it has become a death-bridge. We are demanding accountability and strict action," he addedState government spokesperson and minister Rushikesh Patel said the matter was discussed in Wednesday's cabinet meeting. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has asked the R&B department to explain the lapse. A team comprising government and private experts has visited the site, and a detailed report is also said that the government had sanctioned Rs 212 crore for reconstruction of the bridge and the project was currently at the tendering stage.(With inputs from TOI)
Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
13 die as Gujarat bridge collapses, 6 vehicles fall into Mahi river
Around 7.30 am, a large slab of the 43-year-old bridge over the Mahisagar River gave way. The bridge connected Vadodara and Anand districts, serving as a vital link between Central Gujarat and Saurashtra VADODARA: At least 13 people, including two children, died Wednesday morning when six vehicles plunged 50 to 60 feet into Mahi river after a key section of a 39-year-old bridge caved in near Mujpur village, 27km from Vadodara. The collapse reignited memories of the Morbi tragedy in Oct 2022, when a 19th-century suspension bridge gave way after renovation, killing 135 and injuring 56. Investigations blamed shoddy repairs and rushed timelines. Built in 1986, the bridge near Mujpur links central Gujarat to Saurashtra and is heavily used by trucks and tankers from industrial zones in Padra and Ankleshwar. Many commuters favour it to avoid tolls on Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway. A 15- to 20-metre segment of the 830m-long bridge gave way around 7.30am, sending three trucks, a pick-up van, an auto-rickshaw, and a seven-seater vehicle crashing into the water below. A large tanker truck teetered dangerously at the edge before being pulled to safety. Residents of nearby Dabka and Mujpur villages, jolted awake by the sound of collapsing concrete and cries for help, mounted rescue efforts for nearly an hour before teams from Vadodara fire brigade and NDRF arrived. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo By late evening, 13 bodies had been pulled from the river. The victims were from Vadodara, Anand, and Panchmahal districts. Five injured survivors are being treated at SSG Hospital in Vadodara. "I was on my way to Anand. The truck suddenly began shaking violently. Before I could grasp what was happening, the bridge collapsed and I plunged into the river," said driver Ganpat Solanki, who survived the fall. Vadodara district panchayat member Harshadsinh Parmar had flagged concerns about the Gambhira bridge's condition to state govt in Aug 2022, prompting inspections. Funds were sanctioned recently, with a new Rs 212-crore bridge project in the pipeline. President Droupadi Murmu, PM Narendra Modi, and CM Bhupendra Patel expressed condolences. Gujarat govt announced Rs 4 lakh in compensation for families of the deceased, while Centre pledged Rs 2 lakh from PM's National Relief Fund. The injured will receive Rs 50,000 from both state and Centre. Wednesday's tragedy added to growing calls for mandatory structural audits, stricter bridge maintenance, and accountability for years of neglected infrastructure. A 30-year-old iron footbridge over Indrayani river near Kundamala in Pune collapsed on June 15, killing four and injuring over 50. Age, overcrowding, and ignored safety warnings were cited as reasons.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Warnings on unsafe state of bridge went unheeded
Vadodara: After the Gambhira Bridge over the Mahisagar river — between Mujpur and Gambhira villages of Padra taluka in Vadodara — collapsed on Wednesday morning, killing at least 11 people, it has emerged that several representations by local leaders on the unsafe condition of the bridge, built in 1986, were ignored by the authorities. Three years ago, a member of the Vadodara district panchayat, Harshadsinh Parmar, who is from Mujpur village, wrote to the roads and buildings (R&B) department, saying the derelict bridge posed a threat to public safety. In Aug 2022, Parmar urged the authorities to immediately declare the bridge unsafe, close it to vehicles to prevent an accident and start the process of building a new bridge immediately. Parmar's letters to the R&B department, copies of which are with TOI, warned the authorities that they would be responsible for any loss of life if timely action was not taken. Speaking to TOI, Parmar said that after his letter, the additional chitnis at the Vadodara district collectorate sent a missive to the executive engineer of the R&B department, to do the needful that same month. After the Morbi bridge collapse on Oct 30, 2022, which killed 135, Parmar sent reminders to the R&B department and district collectorate. "As there were vibrations in the pillars of the bridge, I repeatedly demanded that the report on the condition of the bridge be made public. All we were told was that the matter was under consideration. The authorities knew well that the bridge would collapse, but unfortunately, no action was taken," he said. Ironically, N M Naykawala, executive engineer of the R&B department, told mediapersons after the Gambhira bridge collapse that the department's report had not found any major fault in the bridge. "There was an issue with its bearings, which was attended to last year," he told mediapersons. RTI activist and local leader Lakhan Darbar, however, said that an executive engineer of the R&B department in 2022 had himself confessed that the bridge was unfit for use. "This bridge was not safe. The testing report was negative, but despite our demands, the report was never made public. For three years, they allowed the bridge to function knowing very well that it was unsafe. Today, it turned into a 'death-bridge' and we are demanding that the strictest action be taken against the officials concerned," he said. On action taken by the state govt in response to representations about the Gambhira bridge being unsafe, state govt spokesman Rushikesh Patel said, "The bridge collapse was discussed at the cabinet meeting. CM Bhupendra Patel sought an explanation from officials of the roads and buildings department on the issue. A team of experts from the R&B department and private experts visited the site. The report of these experts is awaited. Once the report is available, the govt will be able to fix responsibility for the tragedy." Patel added that the govt had sanctioned Rs 212 crore for rebuilding the bridge and the project is at the tendering stage. Vadodara district collector Anil Dhameliya told TOI, "The chief engineer (design) of R&B department has been assigned the task of ascertaining the reasons behind the collapse," he said.
