Gujarat govt finds 166 bridges damaged during inspection, vehicular movement banned

After the collapse of the Gambhira bridge over the Mahisagar River, near Vadodara that claimed 22 innocent lives, the Gujarat state government had ordered a thorough inspection of bridges across the state. The Roads and Buildings department’s survey has found that 166 bridges are in a dilapidated and dangerous condition, with larger bridges posing greater risk.

Following the inspection, vehicle movement has already been halted on more than 160 bridges due to safety concerns.

The department examined 1,054 major bridges and 5,475 minor bridges in districts including Ahmedabad, Nadiad, Kutch, Mehsana, Banaskantha, Bharuch, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, and others. Of these, 74 major bridges, 51 minor bridges, and 41 other structures were found to be in severely deteriorated condition.

The Roads and Buildings Department has claimed that the government has already approved repair and reconstruction work for 150 bridges. 

However, opposition argued that had the department conducted regular inspections and acted on repeated written complaints from locals, the Gambhira bridge disaster could have been prevented.