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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Bumpy road to progress: State's seasonal quest to fix infra woes while battling monsoon damage
Less than a month into the Southwest monsoon's arrival in Gujarat, over 21,000 potholes have surfaced across the state's roads, exposing their poor condition. With diversions on account of slow moving traffic, and the precautionary closure of bridges over rivers following the July 9 Mujpur-Gambhira bridge collapse in Vadodara district, the busy Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway was recently hit by a jam that resulted in the traffic crawling for more than a day on a 15-km stretch on the outskirts of Vadodara. The bridge collapse claimed 21 lives (one person's remains were untraceable), and the subsequent 40-plus km detour has resulted in increased costs and travel time for commuters going towards Vadodara-Bharuch from the Anand side. Amid protests by the Opposition, public resentment and allegations of corruption, a crackdown was initiated by the Gujarat government under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel — a politician known to start his career from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. With municipal corporation elections due next year, the government's move seems aimed at addressing the concerns. According to the data accessed by The Indian Express, the state government issued notices to at least 100 contractors across the 17 municipal corporations (including nine new ones) and 149 municipalities — 60 in municipal corporations and 40 in municipalities — and imposed a penalty of nearly Rs 71 lakh. The notices also sought explanations regarding the deplorable condition of roads from engineering staff of the municipal corporations. As of July 10 (a day after the Gambhira bridge collapse), data indicated that nearly 600 km of roads in the 17 municipal corporations across the state and around 625 km roads in municipalities had been damaged. Of these, 500 km and 420 km roads were repaired in municipal corporations and municipalities, respectively, according to data. However, worse would follow. Data shows that in the next 12 days (till July 22), another nearly 180 km in municipal corporations and 100 km in municipalities got damaged. During this period, the government also encouraged the residents to use a mobile app, GujMarg, to report potholes, breakdowns and other damages on public roads and bridges. The data accessed by The Indian Express states that 17,735 potholes were reported in areas under the jurisdiction of municipal corporations and 3,745 in municipalities till July 22, of which around 1,400 km of roads in both municipal corporations and municipalities and 21,500 potholes have reportedly been fixed by the authorities so far. Principal Secretary, Urban Development and Urban Housing Department, M Thennarasan told The Indian Express, 'The repair work was the priority… it has been completed. Now, the focus is on replacing it (the immediate repair work) with a hot mix, which is more durable and long lasting'. Contractors and crackdown With the government issuing notices to over 100 contractors across all the municipal corporations and municipalities in the state, at 31, Vadodara topped the list with maximum notices followed by Surat at 10. SURAT In Surat, at least 10 contractors were issued notices and the penalty ranged between Rs 25,000 and Rs 7.5 lakh. According to the information, the contractors and contracting firms who found themselves at the receiving end included Sunil A Domadia, JM Shah, M A Patel, A K Patel, K K B Projects Private Limited, S Z Patel and Sons, Ambika Construction, Bhavani Construction, Shreeji Construction and Marutinandan. Surat Municipal Corporation saw the highest penalty amount collected, at nearly Rs 50.5 lakh from 10 contractors who were compelled to bear the cost of the roads repaired. RAJKOT In Rajkot, two contractors were issued notices. The Rajkot Municipal Corporation, sources said, plans to penalise the contractors. 'The three damaged roads with a total stretch of 850 metres were under the DLP (Defect Liability Period). A fine will be imposed on the two contractors who have worked on it,' Rajkot Municipal Commissioner Tushar Sumera told this paper. Pawan Construction and Classic Construction have also been directed to complete the entire road resurfacing work at their own expense. BHAVNAGAR The government called out Bhavnagar-based Om Construction after roads work, completed in January 2022, got damaged. As defects were found in the work within the DLP, the defective part was recarpeted at the expense of the contractor. According to officials, the construction company was already served notices by the Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) in 2023 over quality issues and their bank guarantee was revoked. However, it was challenged in the Gujarat High Court where the court granted them an interim relief. Other contractors served notices by Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation are Shivdhara Enterprise, Madhuram Infrastructure and Hindustan Construction. AHMEDABAD As published in The Indian Express, the city reported over 8,500 potholes on its city roads in a month till July 9, a fourth of which were found in the West Zone and over 400 on its bridges. In the ongoing crackdown, Ajay Engineering Infrastructure Private Limited and the Project Management Consultant SGS India Private Limited have been issued notices with directions to pay the cost of contractor hired for demolition of Hatkeshwar bridge, which was declared unsafe in just over four years of its opening. JUNAGADH Junagadh Municipal Corporation, issued notices to three contractors, including Amber Builder for resurfacing of 500 sq meters on the damaged road, Shram Shraddha Construction for 4300 sq meters of damaged road and Sarjan Construction for 480 sq. meters of damaged road. The Sarjan Construction, as per the company's website, has ongoing projects in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation related to construction, fabrication, erection and rigid pavement work of six bus shelters (two bay regular) on Sola Bridge to Sardar Patel Ring Road (Science City Road) in Ahmedabad City, for which the work order has been received. Additionally, Junagadh civic body also served notice to PC Snehal Construction Private Ltd though not for road repairs, but to not dig new roads before the monsoon and to repair the roads already dug before the season. Municipalities go easy Among the municipalities, 40 contractors were issued notices, but none have been penalised yet. The highest notices were issued in Gandhinagar municipality, to 13 contractors, who also bore the cost of the road repair work. At 31, Vadodara saw the highest number of contractors being penalised for subpar work. 'The highest number could be due to the reporting mechanism. Since the work was not as per satisfaction, these many contractors were issued notices and penalised,' says VMC commissioner Arun Mahesh Babu. According to the Vadodara Municipal Corporation officials, seven contractors, who took up drainage projects of the VMC in recent months, were fined up to Rs 1 lakh. These include M/s JNP Infra, M/s DR Agarwal, M/s Hindustan Fabricators, M/s SK Makwana and Co., and M/s Bhavin Enterprises. These works were to include road carpeting, which was left incomplete. At least 10 contractors have been fined Rs 1 lakh and above for works of the VMC's Water Department. While M/s Akar Construction has been fined Rs 1.5 lakh for seven such road patches in the city, M/s AK Make Infra has been fined Rs 1 lakh for leaving roads unfinished at five locations. This list also includes M/s Rajkamal Builders Infra Limited — one of the VMC's biggest contractors — which also executed the marathon desilting and dredging project of the Vishwamitri River with a 100-day deadline for pre-monsoon flood mitigation programme. The other contractors of the Water Department projects, who have been levied penalties under Rs 1 lakh, include M/s Dagli Associates, M/s Honest Engineers, M/s Nand Infra, Pavan Enterprises, M/s BD Sarothiiya, and M/s Elite Engineers. Seven other contractors have been fined by the VMC for shortcomings in the ongoing road projects. Dharmik Dave, Head of Department and Executive Engineer (Water Works), in-charge Additional City Engineer (Drainage Project and Sewage works) and Executive Engineer (Road Project), said that none of the penalties issued were because of 'washouts' or 'breaking roads'. 'Almost all the roads under repair are about 15 years old and way beyond the DLP. Most penalties initiated are in incidents of drainage and water network laying, where the contractor has not carpeted the road, as per the scope of work. We wanted a motorable surface, they made the base but did not carpet as they were aware that rains will lead to natural settlement. If we had carpeted it, it would have settled but would have developed cracks as experienced earlier. So this time, we reserved the carpeting for later…' Dave said. Dave added, 'Road contractors are aware that the laying of the storm water drain is in the scope of work… many have not done this work, but made the road motorable. There have been settlements and we have issued notice to them for ongoing work…' Dave added that although roads under DLP (of three years) are in perfect condition in the city, the VMC has identified nine roads that have underground drainage networks of over 40 years ago, leading to repeated cave-ins. 'Since the drainage lines underneath are over four decades old and were created with now obsolete technologies and so they are repeatedly caving in… Under the government disaster fund, we have tendered a project to repair and replace these networks,' he said. When The Indian Express tried to contact stakeholders at Shivam Construction Company and Rajkamal Builders, the firms refused to comment. Another contractor, who has been fined under Rs 50,000, feels that the penalties are 'harsh'. The contractor said, 'The decision to impose penalties on contractors without getting into the merits of the case is unfair and harsh… Contractors, who were asked to complete water and drainage projects just during the monsoon onset would have no other option but to leave the road without carpeting it as the settlement would mean that the VMC would face more flak and questions would be raised on the quality of work…' The multi-axle tanker hangs precariously over the Mujpur-Gambhira bridge two weeks after a part of it collapsed into the Mahi river killing 21, mostly villagers who were on their way to work, few pilgrims and others. In the days that followed the mishap, over 2,000 bridges across the state were inspected and 133 bridges were closed for safety concerns while 30 bridges were closed for urgent repairs. In Vadodara city, the closure of a 51-year-old Nandesari bridge over Mini River as well as the Ranoli Railway Over Bridge on the outskirts of the city left residents concerned about commuting to their workplace. Days after the Vadodara city police notification diverting traffic to Ranoli overbridge, the latter was also closed. Even 17 days after the Gambhira bridge collapse, the administration has been unable to retrieve the slab of the bridge that fell into the river, taking along with it at least two trucks, a private car, two pick up vans and three motorcycles. The authorities are also yet to remove a tanker truck that has been precariously positioned on the broken bridge, on the side of Anand district. In Narmada district, the closure of six strategic bridges, including Movi and Netrang have meant that going to talukas of Dediapada and Sagbara has become longer by over 100 km by a private vehicle as state transport buses are plying only up to the points where the bridges are closed. State of affairs There are a total of 355 bridges across 17 municipal corporations in Gujarat. Government data reveals that out of these, 39 bridges have been identified as 'dilapidated'. Of these, 35 have been categorised as under 'low severity', one under 'medium severity', and three under 'high severity'. Among the 'high severity', one bridge — Sandhiya Bridge — falls under Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) and two — Kamatibaug and the old Jambuva River Bridge — under Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC). 'The reconstruction of Kamatibaug has been approved by the standing committee while new designs are underway for the Jambuva Bridge,' Vadodara Municipal Commissioner Arun Mahesh Babu said. While RMC demolished Sandhiya Bridge in June 2024 and commenced the construction of a new bridge, expected to be completed by September 2026, VMC has closed both bridges. 'Under the state government's SOP following the bridge collapse incident (Morbi), inspection of bridges was carried out every three months in Rajkot. For Sandhiya Bridge, more than the reconstruction planning, the diversion route was the biggest challenge since it connects to Jamnagar. It took us two months to do the same. At present, 60 % bridge work is complete and we are aiming to finish it before the deadline,' Rajkot Municipal commissioner Tushar Sumera shared with The Indian Express. In Surat, 22 bridges are under repair, which is the highest in any city. Surat Municipal Commissioner Shalini Agarwal said, 'It is because of the bridge rehabilitation scheme, which was launched in Surat around two-and-a-half years back. With the highest number of bridges in Surat at 121, a detailed survey was done last year. Based on the survey, bridges were categorised under A to D category, with A requiring no repair to D in dilapidated state.'As per the officials, 80 bridges fall under A category, 15 under minor repair work (B category), 26 under major repair work (C category) and none under D category which requires immediate demolition. The AMC has completed the detailed inspection of all three dilapidated bridges, including Parikshit Lal, Sardar and Gandhi bridge. 'Based on the observations, minor repair works and bearing replacements are currently in progress and are expected to be completed at the earliest,' Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani said. Meanwhile, Jamnagar Municipal Corporation has initiated the reconstruction process for the dilapidated bridges and has restricted movement of heavy motor vehicles on the Kalavad Naka Bridge and near Annapurna Circle Bridge. Junagadh Municipal Corporation has appointed a technical consultant to carry out detailed inspection of the dilapidated bridges. Navsari Municipal Corporation has completed detailed inspection of both its dilapidated bridges and has restricted heavy motor vehicle traffic.
Indian Express
16-07-2025
- Indian Express
Contractors served notices over road damages under Defect Liability Period, told to repair them at own expense
IN A major crackdown against defaulting contractors for road damages across the state, within 17 municipal corporations and 149 municipalities limits, the state government has issued notices and penalised several contractors. As massive public anger and backlash followed the collapse of Gambhira bridge in Vadodara on July 9, and with the corporation elections due within a year, the civic bodies have issued notices to over 25 contractors falling within the Defect Liability Period (DLP), who have been asked to repair 659 km of damaged roads across 17 municipal corporations. Sources in the state government stated that this is the first such massive campaign against contractors over road damages. Explanatory notices have also been issued to the engineering staffers of municipal corporations. 'The repair work is closely monitored centrally, daily, and the municipal corporations and municipalities have been directed to rectify the damages at the earliest. Wherever negligence will be found, corporations will take stern action against whoever is responsible,' M Thennarasan, Principal Secretary, Urban Development and Urban Housing Department, told The Indian Express. Meanwhile, the government has claimed to have repaired 99 per cent of damaged roads in the state. As on Wednesday, 577 km of road stretches, which had been damaged, were repaired and 16,665 out of 16,832 potholes stood repaired across the state's municipal corporations, it said. While the Surat Municipal Corporation issued notices to nine road contractors, it penalised them to the tune of Rs 50.42 lakh for potholes and damages found on the roads during the Defect Liability Period (DLP). SMC officials claim that almost all the major roads in the city have been repaired. Surat Municipal Commissioner Shalini Agrawal said, 'Since the last five days, we have been running a drive to repair and resurface the roads in Surat city. The work is done in all nine zones in the city limits. We first issued notices to the road contractors and later penalised them to the tune of Rs 50.42 lakh. The two hot mix plants of SMC operate as per the demand of the zones. Both plants have been working 24/7 for the last few days to meet the demand for hot bitumen and other materials. Till now, over 270 roads within the city limits have been made, and over 4,000 tonnes of bitumen have been used. SMC is personally looking after the repairing and resurfacing work.' Similarly, in Vadodara city, while 12 contractors have been issued notices and penalised to the tune of Rs 18 lakh, show-cause notices have been issued to nine deputy engineers of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation. 'Out of a total of 3,300 potholes, 3,000 have been repaired. Out of 38.42 km of damaged road, 37.48 km has been repaired, the remaining work will be completed by tomorrow (Thursday). Also, bitumen patchwork has been completed on 18 km of stretches. Notices have been issued to deputy engineers and they have been asked for explanations for lack of attention towards their work. If their explanation is not found satisfactory, disciplinary action will be taken against them,' Arun Mahesh Babu, Municipal Commissioner of Vadodara, told this paper. In Junagadh, notices to three contractors were issued recently while the process of issuing notices to another two is underway as part of a citywide drive, Junagadh Municipal Commissioner Tejas Parmar told this paper. Similarly, nearly three engineers and two contractors have been penalised in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) too, officials stated. In Ahmedabad alone, over 7,200 potholes have been repaired this monsoon. 'If various contractors in the state still do not complete the repairs of roads under the DLP within the stipulated time frame, or if any accident or loss of life occurs due to their negligence, strict criminal action will be taken against them. No contractor who shows negligence will be spared and strictest action will be taken against them as per the law,' the state government stated on Wednesday. The Urban Development Department has completed more than 99 per cent of the work on a war footing in the eight municipal corporations — Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and Junagadh. 'In these older eight municipal corporations, out of 312 km of dilapidated roads, more than 310.68 km of roads have been repaired. The remaining works will also be completed quickly within a week. Apart from this, asphalt patch work has been completed on a total of 55.86 km of roads,' the government stated. Further, 15,123 potholes were reported post rain in these eight municipal corporations of which 15,004 have been filled, the government said. Out of the total 15,985 complaints received by these corporations regarding roads, potholes, cave-ins and waterlogging, 14,633 have been disposed off and the remaining will also be resolved immediately, the government assured. In the new nine municipal corporations, the Urban Development Department has repaired more than 266 km of roads out of around 347 km long damaged roads in Mehsana, Nadiad, Anand, Navsari, Vyapi, Surendranagar, Morbi, Gandhidham and Porbandar. In addition, asphalt patch work has been completed on a total of 10 km of roads. There were 1,709 potholes on various roads in these nine municipalities, out of which 1,661 have been repaired. Further, out of a total of 676 complaints received related to roads, potholes, cave-ins and waterlogging, 649 have been resolved. In addition, out of a total of 2,951 potholes and pits on roads falling under the six Regional Commissioners of Municipalities of the state, namely Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot and Ahmedabad, 1,878 have been filled. Also, out of a total of 834 complaints received in these six Regional Commissioners of Municipalities, 818 complaints have been disposed of immediately.
Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Indian Express
Hatkeshwar Bridge in the heart of Ahmedabad city ‘unfit' for last three years
The collapse of a 43-year-old bridge in Gujarat's Vadodara that claimed several lives early Wednesday brought the Hatkeshwar Bridge under the spotlight. Built at a cost of Rs 40 crore to connect Khokhra and CTM crossroads in Ahmedabad, the bridge was closed for the public following multiple tender processes, owing to structural safety issues. More than three years later, it still stares at uncertainty. A short-term Rs 9 crore tender, issued last month, this time with a revised policy of issuing separate tenders for demolition and reconstruction, has attracted four bids. A decision is expected this month after approvals from the Standing Committee and the Roads and Buildings Committee of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. This was the first single bid received for the demolition work and thus the tender was reissued in June — and this was the six tender issued since 2023. 'The work order of demolition of the bridge from the pile cap bottom level, once awarded, has to be completed within six months. This time, four companies have shown interest and thus a decision will be taken this month,' a senior AMC official told The Indian Express. The bridge was constructed during 2015-2017 by Ajay Engineering Pvt Ltd (AIEPL) with a defect liability of one year and was inaugurated in the year 2017. However, within three years, the first cracks developed on it in March 2021. Soon in 2022, it was closed for vehicular traffic after being found 'unsafe' by lab tests conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and after Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT) Surat confirmed the 'poor quality' of the bridge. In April 2023, then AMC Commissioner M Thennarasan announced the decision to demolish the bridge. Following a report, AIEPL and Project Management Consultant (PMC) SGS India Pvt Limited were blacklisted. Also, four AMC officers were suspended and departmental enquiries were initiated against them. An FIR was also filed for criminal conspiracy and fraud. Between 2023 and 2024, four tenders were issued by the same company to demolish and reconstruct the bridge. Rajasthan-based Vishnu Prakash R Punglia Limited had also applied for another tender, a fourth one, in August 2024 worth Rs 51.7 crore, but the company was not awarded the project after it failed technical evaluation. 'Even after the same company issued tenders four times for breaking and reconstruction (of the bridge), the AMC did not elicit the required response. The fourth time though, after modifications in the conditions, there were issues in the rates quoted and nobody took the risk (of repairing it),' a senior AMC official privy to the project told this paper. It was also revealed that the company had submitted its bid of Rs 118 crore against the tender of Rs 51.7 crore, more than double the estimated cost. The Leader of Opposition in the AMC, Shehzad Khan Pathan, has been repeatedly questioning the ruling BJP party over the 'poor quality' of the bridge and now the indecision. 'It has been 1,000 days and still the ruling government has not been able to act. Neither the bridge has been demolished nor constructed despite AMC having such experts and engineers. If this is the condition of Ahmedabad, being a smart city, one can imagine the situation in villages,' Pathan told this paper. Sources also revealed that the original contractor AIEPL was keen to reassign the work.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Four cos bid for demolition of Hatkeshwar bridge
Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is moving forward with its plan to demolish the controversial Hatkeshwar flyover bridge. Its second attempt to dismantle the structure is gaining traction after a short-term tender for the work, valued at Rs 9.3 crore, was issued last week. Four companies have expressed interest and submitted their bids and a decision will be taken soon, sources said. The proposal will soon be presented to the roads and buildings committee and the standing committee for approval. Constructed between 2015 and 2017 at a cost of Rs 34 crore, the Hatkeshwar flyover was inaugurated in 2017. But within five years, it deteriorated, leading to its closure for vehicular traffic in 2022. The construction was carried out by contractor Ajay Engineering Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. (AEIPL), with a defect liability period of one year. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad The first cracks on the structure appeared in March 2021, with a report on the poor quality of construction following in May 2021. Material tests by three private laboratories and expert assessments from IIT Roorkee and SVNIT confirmed the issues, culminating in a final report by a three-member committee. The report highlighted several critical flaws: substandard concrete quality, improper water-cement ratio leading to porous concrete, carbonation affecting durability, and insufficient cement content, all contributing to reduced structural integrity. On April 15, 2023, AMC commissioner M Thennarasan announced the decision to demolish the bridge, blacklisting the contractor AEIPL and the project management consultant (PMC) SGS India Pvt Ltd. Four AMC officers were suspended, and departmental inquiries were initiated against four others. An FIR was filed against eight officials of the contractor firm and the PMC under IPC sections 120(B), 406, and 420. The civic body plans to recover all demolition and reconstruction costs from the contractor. Despite issuing three tenders for the project, no bids were received. A fourth tender, with a base price of Rs 51.7 crore, attracted a bid of Rs 118 crore from a Rajasthan-based company, but the tender was ultimately cancelled after a technical evaluation by a five-member committee. An official associated with the AMC's bridge project said on condition of anonymity, "The tender for the demolition and reconstruction of the Hatkeshwar flyover bridge was cancelled, and a new tender was issued for the work at a cost of only Rs. 9.31 crore. Initially, no company showed interest. Subsequently, a short-term tender was issued, and four companies have shown interest. The tender process is ongoing. Once finalized and approved by the standing committee, the demolition of the Hatkeshwar flyover will commence. "
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Gujarat to host 2029 World Police & Fire Games
BLURB: This positions India as the first South Asian nation to host the biennial event since the Games' inception in 1985 Gandhinagar: India was awarded the hosting rights for the 2029 World Police & Fire Games (WPFG), and these games are scheduled to be held across Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Ekta Nagar in Kevadia, the state govt said on Thursday. The biennial event is expected to welcome over 10,000 athletes from more than 70 countries, representing police, fire, customs, and correctional services. This positions India as the first South Asian nation to host the WPFG since the Games' inception in 1985. The announcement followed India's final presentation to the California Police Athletic Federation (CPAF), the governing body of the games, on June 25 in Birmingham, Alabama. India now joins a prestigious group of past host nations, including Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, China, and the United States, affirming its arrival as a central player in the global multi-sport ecosystem, an official statement said. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad The bid underwent a technical and administrative evaluation process over a period of 15 months. The bid team from Gujarat during the final presentation at Birmingham included Ashwini Kumar, principal secretary (sports, youth, and cultural activities) and M Thennarasan, principal secretary (urban development & urban housing), highlighting the state's preparedness and commitment towards delivering the games. "Building on the success of the 36th National Games in 2022, the 2029 WPFG adds credibility to Gujarat's ambitions of becoming the country's leading destination for high-performance, multi-sport events. With over 15 venues already operational, the games will leverage existing infrastructure while introducing global-standard overlays and operational systems," the govt said.
