'Complained about the bridge three years ago', activist reveals in Vadodara bridge accident

The number of deaths caused by the bridge collapse on the Mahisagar river in Vadodara, Gujarat, has increased to 15. Now, the government's negligence angle is emerging in this case. One activist has alleged that he had informed the officials about the faulty state of the bridge three years ago, but his voice went unheard.

Social activist Lakhan Darbar, who runs an organization called 'Yuva Sena', alleged that if action had been taken when he raised the issue before the government officials in August 2022, this accident would not have happened. Meanwhile, an audio clip of the conversation between Lakhan Darbar and the officer is also going viral.

In this viral audio clip, Lakhan is requesting that the bridge be repaired or a new bridge be built. Vadodara District Panchayat member Harshad Singh Parmar had also written a letter expressing concern over the condition of the bridge. In the audio clip, the officer can be heard admitting that the bridge will not last long.

After the collapse of the bridge on Wednesday, Lakhan Darbar reached the spot and accused the R&B department of negligence. This bridge connected Anand to the Vadodara district. Thousands of vehicles used to pass on it every day. Lakhan Darbar said that people were complaining about abnormal vibrations in the bridge for a long time. But still the bridge was not closed.

At the same time, Nainish Naikwala, Executive Engineer of Vadodara Division of R&B, said that no demand was made to close the bridge, and no problem was found in the bridge during the survey. A portion of the four-decade-old bridge collapsed on Wednesday, causing several vehicles to fall into the river.