Following the Gambhira bridge collapse in Vadodara last week, which resulted in at least 20 deaths, the Gujarat government has launched simultaneous, large-scale actions targeting both faulty infrastructure and contractor accountability.
According to media reports, while the Urban Development Department has issued notices and penalties to road contractors across the state’s municipal corporations for damaged roads, the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department has closed 133 bridges after inspections revealed safety concerns. These developments mark a sweeping response from multiple government departments following growing public anger and with civic elections approaching.
According to an official release, R&B department officials inspected over 1,800 bridges across Gujarat in a single week and closed 133 of them as a precautionary measure. Of these, 20 bridges were closed for all vehicles, while 113 were shut only for heavy vehicles. Senior minister and Gujarat government spokesperson Rushikesh Patel said that non-destructive tests had been conducted on all 133 bridges and work on repair, strengthening, or reconstruction had begun immediately. The list includes nine bridges on the Narmada canal network — five of which, located in Morbi and Surendranagar, were closed for all vehicles, and four, in Ahmedabad and Patan, for heavy vehicles only. There are around 2,110 bridges on the canal network, the release stated.
At a press briefing following the weekly cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Rushikesh Patel said that a tender worth Rs 212 crore had been issued for construction of a new bridge near the collapsed Gambhira bridge in Vadodara. He added that while such a project would typically take 18 months to complete, the Chief Minister had directed that the work be finished by the next monsoon — in 12 months — with construction expected to begin within three months.
Simultaneously, in what sources in the government have described as the first campaign of its kind, a crackdown has been initiated across 17 municipal corporations and 149 municipalities to penalise defaulting contractors responsible for road damage. Over 25 contractors have received notices under the Defect Liability Period (DLP) to repair 659 km of damaged roads. Explanatory notices have also been issued to engineering staff of various municipal corporations. According to Principal Secretary M Thennarasan of the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department, the repair work is being centrally monitored on a daily basis, and corporations have been directed to act quickly. He added that any negligence would result in stern action against those responsible.
Reports added that Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has issued notices to nine road contractors and penalised them a total of Rs 50.42 lakh for potholes and road damages during the DLP. SMC Commissioner Shalini Agrawal reportedly said that a repair and resurfacing drive has been running across all nine city zones for five days, during which over 270 roads have been addressed using more than 4,000 tonnes of bitumen. She added that both of SMC’s hot mix plants have been operating around the clock to meet the demand.
In Vadodara, 12 contractors have been served notices and penalised Rs 18 lakh. Show-cause notices have also been issued to nine deputy engineers of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation. Municipal Commissioner Arun Mahesh Babu said that out of 3,300 potholes, 3,000 have been repaired, and out of 38.42 km of damaged roads, 37.48 km had been restored. Bitumen patchwork had also been completed on 18 km of roads. He stated that engineers have been asked to explain their lack of attention, and if their responses are unsatisfactory, disciplinary action will follow.
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has penalised two contractors and three engineers. Officials stated that over 7,200 potholes have been repaired in Ahmedabad this monsoon. In Junagadh, notices have been issued to three contractors and are underway for two more, according to Municipal Commissioner Tejas Parmar.
According to the state government, if contractors fail to complete repairs under DLP in the stipulated time frame or if any accidents or loss of life occur due to negligence, strict criminal action will be taken. It added that no negligent contractor would be spared and that the strictest action would be pursued as per law.
Going by government accounts, 577 km of damaged roads and 16,665 of 16,832 potholes had been repaired across municipal corporations. In the eight older corporations — Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, and Junagadh — over 310.68 km of the 312 km damaged roads had been restored.
Asphalt patch work had been completed on 55.86 km, media reports added. Additionally, 15,004 of 15,123 potholes reported post-rain had been filled, and out of 15,985 public complaints regarding roads, potholes, cave-ins, and waterlogging, 14,633 had been resolved.
In the nine newer municipal corporations — Mehsana, Nadiad, Anand, Navsari, Vyapi, Surendranagar, Morbi, Gandhidham and Porbandar — over 266 km of damaged roads out of 347 km had been repaired. Asphalt patch work was completed on 10 km. Of the 1,709 potholes reported in these areas, 1,661 had been repaired, and of 676 complaints, 649 had been addressed.
Across the six Regional Commissioners of Municipalities — Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, and Ahmedabad — 1,878 out of 2,951 potholes have been filled, and 818 of the 834 complaints received have been resolved.
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