AHMEDABAD: In a tragic incident early Tuesday morning, 11 people lost their lives and five others were injured when the 40-year-old Gambhira Bridge over the Mahisagar River collapsed in Gujarat’s Vadodara district. The collapse sent four vehicles — including two trucks and a Bolero jeep — crashing into the river.
The event has caused a great deal of public concern because new information indicates that authorities were aware of the bridge's declining state for a long time yet did not act promptly. Before collapsing, the bridge, which linked the Saurashtra area with central Gujarat, had apparently displayed indications of structural vulnerability.
There is now increasing pressure on authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the occurrence and hold those responsible for it accountable.
A phone conversation between a Roads & Buildings department worker and Vadodara activist Lakhan Darbar that was released on August 22, 2022, has gone viral, revealing that officials were aware the Gambhira Bridge was structurally unsafe. In the call, the officer admits the bridge “would not last long,” noting that repair proposals and inspection teams had already been initiated.
Moreover, despite clear warnings and repeated written pleas from a district panchayat member, no repairs were undertaken. The bridge remained neglected until its collapse nearly two years later.
In the wake of the tragedy, Darbar has wanted criminal action, calling for immediate FIRs and arrests of responsible officials.
Executive Engineer NM Nayakawala, who was on site, asserted that the bridge had not displayed any obvious indicators of degradation, despite the fact that the widely shared audio clip from three years earlier suggests previous warnings.
In addition to expressing sorrow over the Gambhira Bridge disaster, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel directed the state's Roads & Buildings department to conduct a thorough investigation. Both government and private engineering teams have been sent for an initial inquiry into the structural failure, he wrote in a post on X.
Using boats and divers, rescue operations are being carried out by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation, the local fire department, and NDRF units.
The cause of the collapse will be thoroughly examined, according to State Minister Rushikesh Patel, who also stated that the bridge, which was constructed in 1985, received routine maintenance.
However, public indignation has been stoked by images of the entire slab crumbling between two piers, as well as earlier warnings and official inactivity. Many now consider the tragedy to be a preventable catastrophe and a stark example of administrative negligence.