‘We warned them': Congress slams Gujarat govt over Vadodara bridge collapse; says it was a disaster waiting to happen
NEW DELHI: The Gujarat Congress came down heavily on the state government holding it responsible for the bridge collapse incident in Vadodara that claimed nine lives on Wednesday.
Party leader Amit Chavda said that the incident occurred due to state government's negligence.
"The Gambhira bridge that connects Anand and Vadodara districts collapsed this morning. The traffic from the entire Saurashtra passes through here. We had demanded from the government again and again, and people had written to them a that the bridge was not in good condition and it should be repaired. But the government paid no heed.
That is why the incident occurred," Chavda told ANI.
He claimed that the crumbling bridge and ignored warnings were a perfect recipe for disaster.
The bridge, which connects Padra and Mujpur and serves as a key connector between Central Gujarat and Saurashtra, gave way around 7.30am, sending a truck, a van, and a car into the Mahisagar river below.
Locals were the first to respond, followed by police, fire brigade, and disaster response teams.
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Vadodara (Rural) SP Rohan Anand confirmed the deaths, while Anand MP Mitesh Patel said three bodies had been recovered and four persons rescued. Rescue operations were still underway till late evening, with ten people pulled out from the river.
The bridge, located about 25km from Vadodara city, handles heavy vehicular movement, particularly from Saurashtra-bound transport vehicles.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a foreign visit, announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the PMNRF for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured. He also spoke to CM Bhupendra Patel to take stock of the situation and reviewed the state's rescue and relief efforts.
CM Patel later posted on X that the Prime Minister had expressed condolences and enquired about treatment arrangements for the injured.
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