AHMEDABAD: 11 people were killed and five others injured early Tuesday morning after the 40-year-old Gambhira Bridge over the Mahisagar River collapsed in Vadodara district, sending four vehicles, including two trucks and a Bolero jeep, plunging into the river below.The tragedy, which has shocked the region, is now at the centre of public fury as damning evidence emerges pointing to long-standing official awareness of the bridge’s poor condition.A recorded phone conversation dated August 22, 2022, between Vadodara-based social activist Lakhan Darbar and a Roads & Buildings department officer has gone viral. In the clip, the officer can be heard acknowledging that the bridge was structurally unsound and “would not last long.”Despite this, no action was taken.The officer in the call reportedly admitted that a proposal for repairs had been sent, a design inspection team had been called, and the department was concerned the bridge would not last even that year. Yet, the bridge remained untouched until its collapse nearly two years later.Further underlining the pattern of inaction, a district panchayat member had submitted multiple written requests for urgent repairs, none of which prompted any preventive measures.In the aftermath, activist Lakhan Darbar has demanded criminal accountability. “An FIR must be filed immediately. The responsible officers should be arrested and jailed,” he said.
Source link
