Twenty-eight days after the catastrophic collapse of the Gambhira bridge on July 9, the 12-tonne tanker that had been dangerously hanging over the broken slab above the Mahi river was finally retrieved.
According to the latest reports, the death toll from the tragic incident climbed to 22 after Dilip Padhiyar, who was undergoing treatment at SSG Hospital in Vadodara, succumbed to his injuries.
He had reportedly suffered injuries to his hands and legs and developed lung infection.
As soon as he experienced breathing difficulties, the hospital called for a vascular surgeon.
His brother told a certain section of the media that Padhiyar could have been provided better treatment and “all these days he was eating normally.”
Meanwhile, the massive recovery operation of the bridge was initiated last Friday under direct instructions from Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel. A 60-member team from the Marine Emergency Response Centre (MERC) in Porbandar was deployed for the effort. The team arrived with specialised equipment including pneumatic roller bags, hydraulic-driven strand jacks, and a precisely engineered horizontal cantilever to attempt the impossible.
“Technically, there were many challenges, including the strength of the bridge, the presence of water below it and the precarious position of the tanker. But we had a plan in place. The last phase on Tuesday took just 30 minutes,” Ketan Gajjr, owner of MERC Private Limited, told a national daily.
Gajjr further assured, “MERC will always be there for any emergency in Gujarat or elsewhere in the country.”
District officials acknowledged the dire circumstances surrounding the operation. “It was a challenging task given the constraints. The structural integrity of the bridge was compromised. It could not bear any load, and there is a river under the bridge. MERC, which has expertise in marine salvaging, with its entire team, was camping in Anand for the five days. They decided on the engineering modalities,” Anand district collector Praveen Chaudhary told the media outlet.
Chaudhary confirmed that on Tuesday, after successful testing, the tanker had been pulled to safety. He explained that the team had used inflatable bags placed beneath the tanker to lift it. He added that once the front of the tanker had been lifted, it had been safely retrieved.
He further said that MERC had executed the entire high-risk operation without charging the administration a single rupee, adding that they were grateful for this philanthropy. He also mentioned that, because of the risk involved, the operation had been supervised and monitored from about 900 metres away.
Also Read: NDA Parliamentary Party Meet A Signal To RSS That Modi Still Enjoys Support Outside Sangh Parivar https://www.vibesofindia.com/nda-parliamentary-party-meet-a-signal-to-rss-that-modi-still-enjoys-support-outside-sangh-parivar/
