The rescue operation continues the day after several vehicles fell into the Mahisagar River, when part of the four -year -old bridge in the Vadodar district of Gujarat 1025 collapsed. Photo Credit: PTI
After at least 18 people were killed when part of the Gambhira bridge across the Mahisagar River collapsed in Padra Taluk from the Vadodar district, social activists, opposition leaders, and locals claimed that the authorities had ignored the “dangerous” four ten -ten -year warnings.
He claims that even a government official who pointed out in 2022, he admitted that the structure “may not survive long”, but no urgent repairs or closure.
Lakhan Darbar, founder of the activist group Yuva Sena in Vadodar, said he warned the authorities during the discussion on August 22, 2022. Accused officials of deliberate negligence and said, “They knew that the bridge was on the verge of collapse but did not take any steps to prevent this tragedy.”
In an interview with Hindu, Mr. Darbar said that the problem first gained attention in August 2022, when Harshadsinh Parmar, a district member of Panchayat and a member of Yuva Sena, submitted a written complaint about the bridge. “There was no response to Harshad, so I took it with the official of the Ministry of Roads and Buildings (R&B). He acknowledged risks, but no measures followed.
Mr. Darbar also shared the sound record of his interview with the R&B officer. The clip can be heard in the ward to either repair or reconstruct the bridge, and quotes the danger to the commuters. “People’s lives are in danger, but no measures have been taken yet. If the steps are not taken, we will sit quickly,” said Mr. Darbar.
The officer replies that a private consultant’s survey has described concerns, the bridge confession does not have to take much longer. “Even we believe that the bridge may not survive for a long time … But how can we close the bridge? We informed our superiors. The proposal for reconstruction or strengthening the structure has been sent. Our designer team will see it,” adds the clerk.
Around 7.30 am on Wednesday (July 9, 2025), part of the bridge collapsed when a 10 to 15 meter-long bridge-Klíčová connector between the central Gujarat and the Saurashtra region has come back and sent cars, bikes and automatic rickshaw to the Mahisagar River.
After the collapse, Mr. Darbar visited the place and criticized the ward to keep the bridge open to vehicles despite internal findings. “This is a key path between Anand and Vadodar with heavy daily traffic. Officials had information about the poor bridge of the bridge since 2022, including the unfavorable survey results, but it kept it functional,” he said.
However, Nainish Naykawala, a executive engineer of the Vadodar Division in the R&B department, said that the Ministry did not find any main structural mistakes during its inspection. “It was not desirable to close the bridge. Our news did not indicate serious damage. There was a problem with the bearing coat, but it was repaired last year,” he said.
The collapse of the bridge set fire to the wild political resistance, while opposition parties joined in the conviction of the state government. Former Chief Minister Shankersinh Vagiela has launched a scary attack and said “this tragedy is the price of 30 -year -old Misrule BJP”.
Congress leaders AMIT Chavda and Manish Doshi demanded a high -level court investigation, while Isudan Gadhvi by Aam Aadmi called it a “man -made catastrophe”.
Published – 10 July 2025 20:43
