The death toll in the bridge collapse in Padra taluka of Vadodara district has risen to 13, even as the ruling BJP in Gujarat has come in for criticism by the opposition parties for gross negligence.
Several vehicles plunged into the river after Mujpur Gambhira bridge collapsed on Wednesday morning. The bridge connects Padra and Anand. The traffic has been diverted.
Among the dead include two children. The injured have been admitted to the SSG Hospital and nearby hospitals for treatment.
Pictures reveal Mujpur Gambhira bridge breaking into two pieces. The vehicles plunged into river Mahisagar.
The Gujarat Government has declared compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 for the injured. This is in addition to Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for the kin of those killed announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. Modi also announced compensation of Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Eye-witnesses said that for one hour neither the police nor the rescue teams reached the site. They acknowledged the efforts of the locals and the fishermen, who helped the injured to come out.
Five people have been rescued and the search operation is on. Local residents are helping in a big way in the rescue operations. The key operation is led by the NDRF and two teams of thirty people each are on the job.
Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel has ordered an inquiry into the incident. In a social media post, he said that engineers and people having expertise in bridge reconstruction have been sent to the site.
The incident once again shows the callous attitude of the state government. It also clearly shows that lessons have not been learnt from Morbi bridge collapse. On October 30, 2022, more than 135 lives were lost when a hanging bridge in Morbi collapsed.
Thereafter, when the case went to the Gujarat High Court, the Gujarat Government submitted a report on the condition of bridges in the state. So the question then remains: Why was the state of this bridge and several other bridges like the one that collapsed on Wednesday not taken into consideration?
According to sources, the Gambhira bridge was constructed in 1985 and underwent repairs a few months ago. An injured truck driver told a television channel that the bridge used to vibrate when the vehicles passed from there. Ganpatisinh Rajput was driving a truck. It plunged into the river along with other vehicles. He suffered injuries and is undergoing treatment at the SSG Hospital.
On August 4, 2022, Vadodara District Panchayat member, Harshadsinh Chandubhai Parmar, in a letter to the executive engineer of the district in Vadodara, said that the Gambhira bridge is in a dilapidated condition and that an inquiry should be undertaken and the test reports should be made public.
Yet, complaints like these fell on deaf ears. After the accident on Wednesday, one of the engineers even had the audacity to say that the bridge was dilapidated, but the administration had not received any request to close the vehicular traffic on it.
In fact in the last couple of years, parts of several bridges have fallen in the state. May that be Mamatpura bridge of Ahmedabad in December 2021, a bridge in Halwad in 2024, or even the case in which part of Ambedkar bridge in Mehsana that gave way in 2024. In Surat, a bridge had suffered damages before its inauguration. The bridge in Hatkeshwar in Ahmedabad is now being demolished for wrong design and a new bridge is going to come up.
According to data available, as many as 21 bridges have collapsed or parts have fallen in the last 17 years.
Kumar Kanani, BJP MLA from Varachha Road, has stressed the need for repairs of Kamrej-Tapi bridge. The bridge, according to him, is in a bad condition.
Expressing grief over the incident that has led to casualties, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel took to X to say that he has asked the Roads and Buildings Department to conduct an inquiry.
Patel further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a foreign visit, spoke to him over the phone to get details of the incident. The PM has expressed grief, he added.
The Chief Minister said that experts in the field of engineering and bridge reconstruction have been sent to the accident spot.
Expressing grief over the incident, Rajya Sabha MP of the Congress, Shaktisinh Gohil, alleged that corruption in the BJP is responsible for this incident. He questioned why the bridge gave way when the bearings were changed a few months ago. He went on to allege that the contractors, who get contracts, have to give money to BJP Headquarters — Shri Kamalam. What then will be the quality of the work, he questioned.
Opposition leader in the state assembly, Amit Chavda, has lambasted the state government for the gross negligence.
Gujarat unit president of Aam Aadmi Party, Isudan Ghadvi, called for an impartial inquiry and alleged that in the BJP’s regime people fear going near the bridges.
Former chief minister of Gujarat, Shankersinh Vaghela, also came down heavily on the BJP government for what he termed as sheer negligence. “The government should take responsibility and not try to save its skin,” he said.
He further said that neither the administration nor the elected representatives care as the BJP is in power in Gujarat for the last three decades.
Congress leader and Vadgam MLA, Jignesh Mevani, termed it not as an accident but murder.
With a truck still struck in the waters, there is a fear that the death toll might increase.
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