The Gambhira Bridge Tragedy: A Catastrophe Foretold?

The tragic collapse of the Gambhira Bridge on Wednesday morning, claiming at least 16 lives, has unearthed a chilling truth: warnings about its perilous condition went unheeded for years. This isn't just a story of structural failure; it's a stark reminder of bureaucratic inertia and the devastating cost of ignoring public safety.

The 1986-built bridge over the Mahi river, connecting Mujpur and Gambhira villages in Vadodara's Padra taluka, was a ticking time bomb. For years, local leaders repeatedly flagged its deteriorating state, but their pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears within the very departments responsible for public infrastructure.

Ignored Warnings and Buried Reports

Among the most vocal was Harshadsinh Parmar, a Vadodara district panchayat member from Mujpur. As far back as 2021, Parmar began writing to the Roads and Buildings (R&B) department, unequivocally stating the bridge posed a significant threat. By August 2022, his urgency escalated. He implored authorities to declare the bridge unsafe, close it to traffic immediately, and initiate plans for a new structure. Copies of his letters, now circulating in the media, explicitly warned officials they would be held accountable for any loss of life if swift action wasn't taken.

Parmar recounted how, following his initial letters, the Vadodara district collectorate's additional chitnis did forward his concerns to the R&B department's executive engineer that very month. Yet, despite this internal communication, no substantial action was taken.

The devastating Morbi bridge collapse on October 30, 2022, which killed 135 people, should have served as a wake-up call. Parmar, deeply concerned, sent fresh reminders to both the R&B department and the district collectorate. "There were vibrations in the pillars of the bridge, and I repeatedly demanded that the report on its condition be made public," Parmar told reporters, his voice heavy with grief. "All we were told was that the matter was under consideration. The authorities knew well that the bridge would collapse, but unfortunately, no action was taken."

Contradictions and Denials

Adding a layer of disturbing irony, N.M. Naykawala, the R&B department's executive engineer, astonishingly claimed after the Gambhira bridge's collapse that their report had found "no major fault" with the structure, attributing any issues to minor bearing problems that were supposedly "attended to last year."

However, this narrative is sharply contradicted by RTI activist and local leader Lakhan Darbar. Darbar revealed that an R&B department executive engineer himself confessed in 2022 that the bridge was "unfit for use." "This bridge was not safe. The testing report was negative, but despite our demands, the report was never made public," Darbar asserted. "For three years, they allowed the bridge to function knowing very well that it was unsafe. Today, it turned into a 'death-bridge,' and we are demanding that the strictest action be taken against the officials concerned."

Government's Response and Future Plans

State government spokesman Rushikesh Patel addressed the media regarding the tragedy. He confirmed that the bridge collapse was a topic of discussion at a recent cabinet meeting, where Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel sought explanations from R&B department officials. A team of experts, including those from the R&B department and private consultants, has visited the site, and their report is awaited. "Once the report is available, the government will be able to fix responsibility for the tragedy," Patel stated.

In a move to address the long-standing issue, Patel also announced that the government has sanctioned ₹212 crore for rebuilding the bridge, with the project currently in the tendering stage. While a new bridge is crucial, the pressing question remains: why did it take a preventable tragedy and the loss of precious lives for decisive action to be taken?