Gambhira Bridge collapse on Wednesday added to the list of India’s deadly bridges, underlining complete lack of value for human life in the country
On Wednesday Gambhira Bridge on the Mahisagar river connecting Vadodara and Anand districts in Gujarat collapsed, adding to the list of India’s deadly bridges, underlining the complete lack of value for human life in the country.
According to reports, the bridge collapse was discussed at the state cabinet meeting with Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel summoning officials and seeking explanation, directing them to file a report on the cause of the incident.
Originally built in 1985, the bridge had undergone repairs last year. Its collapse has also raised questions about infrastructure quality in Gujarat, according to reports, also suggesting that the contractor responsible for the original Gambhira bridge was blacklisted during the COVID-19 period but continued to receive work orders.
“Companies with poor records are awarded new tenders thanks to their political and bureaucratic links. Contractors themselves say the system leaves little room for quality construction,” say those familiar with the working of these departments
Structural issues, poor maintenance and construction materials, excessive rains or corruption, bridge accidents have claimed many lives in India, the more recent being the Indrayani River bridge collapse in Pune on June 15 in which four persons died and 18 others were seriously injured. The old iron pedestrian bridge collapsed in the Kundamala area where heavy rains had been reported in the past few days.
Last year, nearly 12 bridges collapsed in Bihar within a span of just 20 days.
What Gambhira’ investigation reveals, time will tell, the fact is this is not the first time such an incident has been reported in the country. Gujarat itself has seen several bridge collapses in the past 10 years, as per reports
Gambhira collapse is the second such incident in Gujarat in recent years.
In October 2022, a pedestrian suspension bridge over the Machchhu river in Morbi in Gujarat, collapsed, causing the death of over 141 persons and injuries to more than 180 others.
According to a 2020 study titled “Analysis of Bridge Failures in India from 1977 to 2017” as many 2,130 bridges collapsed in the past four decades, primarily due to reasons like natural disasters, material deterioration and overloading. “More than 2130 bridges (excluding culverts and pedestrian bridges) have failed to provide intended service or got collapsed during various phases of construction in recent four decades,” it said
16 bridges collapsed in Gujarat in 4 years: Congress
Demanding the resignation of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, the Congress also sought answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah who also come from Gujarat.
The party also demanded constituting a high-level committee of officers whose integrity is above board to probe the 16 incidents of bridge collapse in the past years. Politicians and bureaucrats were sharing the bribes in a 20:20 ratio, each claiming 20 % from every contract and project, alleged Congress’ Gujarat leaders Jignesh Mevani and Lalji Desai
“The corrupt Gujarat government is responsible for the collapse of Gambhira bridge which caused 16 deaths and seven persons going missing. People from the adjacent areas had repeatedly raised alarms about the vulnerability of the bridge, warning that it could collapse anytime but their concerns fell on deaf ears of the corrupt government assisted by an equally corrupt bureaucracy,” alleged Mevani
Gambhira bridge collapse is one in a series of16 major tragedies in the past four years and there has been no accountability. The main accused in the Morbi bridge collapse is roaming around freely, he added
