Key facts:
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Bridge History: Built in 1986, the bridge connected Mujpur and Gambhira villages over the Mahi River in Padra taluka.
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Warnings Since 2021: Local leader Harshadsinh Parmar, a Vadodara district panchayat member from Mujpur, began raising safety concerns in 2021. In August 2022, he formally warned the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department, urging them to:
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Declare the bridge unsafe.
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Close it to vehicular traffic.
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Start building a replacement.
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Ignored After Morbi Collapse: Following the Morbi suspension bridge tragedy in October 2022 that killed 135 people, Parmar sent reminders. Yet, authorities offered only vague assurances, saying the matter was “under consideration.”
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Contradictory Official Statements:
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Post-collapse, R&B executive engineer N M Naykawala claimed no major faults were found, only issues with bearings fixed the previous year.
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However, RTI activist Lakhan Darbar revealed that an R&B engineer in 2022 had found the bridge “unfit for use”—a fact that was never disclosed publicly.
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Negligence and Demand for Accountability: Activists and locals now demand strict action against officials who allowed the bridge to remain operational despite knowing the risks, effectively turning it into a “death-bridge.”
Bridge Collapse After Years of Neglect
Vadodara was jolted on Wednesday morning by the collapse of the Gambhira Bridge over the Mahi River, a disaster that claimed at least 16 lives. The bridge, built in 1986, connected Mujpur and Gambhira villages in the Padra taluka of the district. What makes this tragedy especially infuriating for locals is that repeated warnings over several years—from both elected representatives and local activists—fell on deaf ears.
Repeated Pleas Since 2021 Ignored by Authorities
As early as 2021, Harshadsinh Parmar, a member of the Vadodara District Panchayat from Mujpur, had raised red flags about the bridge’s deteriorating state. In August 2022, Parmar wrote to the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department, urging them to declare the structure unsafe, halt traffic, and initiate the construction of a new bridge. He explicitly warned that the government would be accountable for any loss of life if prompt action wasn’t taken.
Following Parmar’s complaint, the additional chitnis at the Vadodara District Collectorate reportedly instructed the executive engineer of the R&B department to take immediate steps. However, nothing concrete followed. After the Morbi bridge collapse on October 30, 2022, which killed 135 people, Parmar renewed his efforts by sending reminders to both the R&B department and the district administration.
Officials Downplayed Risk Despite Structural Red Flags
Despite specific warnings about vibrations in the pillars and calls to make the inspection report public, authorities remained unresponsive. Parmar recounted that all he was ever told was that the matter was “under consideration.” Local officials, he alleges, were well aware that the bridge could collapse but chose not to act.
Following the collapse, N M Naykawala, the executive engineer of the R&B department, denied that the bridge had any major faults, claiming only minor bearing issues had been addressed the previous year. This stands in sharp contrast to what RTI activist and local leader Lakhan Darbar revealed: that an R&B engineer had declared the bridge unfit for use in 2022. The negative testing report was allegedly buried, and no public disclosure was made. “For three years, they allowed a death trap to remain open,” Darbar said.
Government Promises Action, Sanctions Funds After Collapse
After the collapse, state government spokesman Rushikesh Patel stated that the incident was discussed in the Gujarat cabinet meeting. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has demanded an explanation from R&B officials, and a team of department and private experts has visited the site. Patel said the government awaits their final report before fixing responsibility.
Meanwhile, the government has sanctioned ₹212 crore for constructing a new bridge, and the project is now in the tendering stage. However, the compensation and promises offer little comfort to grieving families and angry residents, many of whom believe the disaster could have been avoided if only the warnings had been heeded.
A Preventable Tragedy Echoing Morbi
The Gambhira Bridge collapse is tragically reminiscent of the Morbi bridge disaster, revealing deep flaws in Gujarat’s infrastructure management and public safety oversight. Despite clear warnings, official correspondence, and internal engineering assessments, bureaucratic apathy and lack of accountability allowed a known hazard to become a mass casualty event.
Public outrage is growing, with demands for criminal liability against negligent officials, and a call for systemic reforms in how public infrastructure is inspected, monitored, and maintained.
