Latest news with #Padhiyar
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
After Gambhira bridge collapse, boat ban maroons commuters
Vadodara: Until last week, Ghanshyam Padhiyar, a resident of Bamangam village in Anand's Anklav taluka, would cross the Mahi by boat to get to his factory at Ekalbara village in Padra taluka of Vadodara. Despite the risks involved, Padhiyar would make the crossing on boats run by local fishermen, as this was his best option after the collapse of the Gambhira bridge on July 9, which killed 20 people. The bridge over the Mahi was not only a link between central Gujarat and Saurashtra, but also the shortest route for people living in villages along the boundary between Anand and Vadodara districts to travel from one to the other. Now, scores of such villagers, factory workers and farm labourers are stranded, as all boat crossings have been stopped with immediate effect, in keeping with directives from Anand district collector Praveen Chaudhary. Anand district collector Praveen Chaudhary cited the new boating regulations, introduced by the Gujarat govt last year after the Harni Lake boat capsize in Vadodara on Jan 18, 2024, which killed 12 schoolchildren and two teachers during a school picnic. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Flexible Program BITS Pilani Digital Apply Now Undo According to the rules, all pleasure craft and boats operating in Gujarat must be registered with the district collector's office. Only after safety inspections by authorized surveyors can boats ferry passengers. "After it came to our notice that people were commuting by boat, I issued directives to police to ensure strict implementation of the rules," said Chaudhary. He said instructions have also been issued to the village panchayats of Bamangam and Gambhira to ensure no lives are put at risk. "It is true that commuters are facing hardships, but with the monsoon and water being released into the Mahi, unauthorized boating is extremely dangerous. We cannot wait for a disaster to happen," Chaudhary said. Padhiyar spoke about his plight. "I used to get to my factory in Ekalbara by the Gambhira bridge. After the collapse, commuting became a challenge. If I take the alternative route, it adds two hours, nearly 45km and Rs 200 in petrol costs. A boat was the best option — it costs Rs 40 for a round trip and I get there on time," he explained. Padhiyar would park his two-wheeler on the Anand side of the river, cross the 700m stretch by boat, and take a rickshaw on the Vadodara side to his factory. Now, villagers like him are urging the state govt to make arrangements by providing safe, regulated boats until the new bridge — as announced by the Gujarat govt — is built. The situation got worse when the Umeta bridge, another key link between Anand and Vadodara districts, was also closed to heavy vehicles due to safety concerns. These vehicles are now being diverted via Vasad, where commuters are facing hardships due to traffic congestion and bad roads. "As many commuters, especially factory workers and students, are struggling and alternative routes are too long, I have asked for the resumption of the Kathana-Vadodara passenger train service, which has been shut since the Covid-19 pandemic," said Anand MP Mitesh Patel. "I have written to Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel and railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, highlighting that the train once connected more than 25 villages in Borsad and Anklav talukas. The infrastructure exists — it just needs refurbishment for services to resume," he added.
Hindustan Times
13-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Gujarat bridge collapse: Search for lone missing person continues in Mahisagar River
Vadodara, The search operation to trace one man still missing in the bridge collapse incident, in which 20 people have lost their lives, continued in the Mahisagar River in Gujarat's Vadodara district on Sunday, officials said. Gujarat bridge collapse: Search for lone missing person continues in Mahisagar River Efforts are on to trace Vikram Padhiyar , a resident of Narsinghpur village in Anand district and employee of a private company, they said. Several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar River after a segment of the 40-year-old bridge near Gambhira village, connecting Anand and Vadodara districts, collapsed on Wednesday. A search to locate Padhiyar on Saturday yielded no result, and attempts were underway to trace him on both the upstream and downstream of the river, an official from the Vadodara district administration said. He said the rescue teams are conducting searches with rubber boats and other necessary equipment, and the wreckage of the small vehicles was also salvaged. "Near Mujpur village, where this incident took place, the Mahisagar River flows in both directions. During high tide, the water flows towards the Wahara creek, and during low tide, it flows towards the sea. Hence, searches are being carried out in both directions, upstream and downstream," the official said. The National Disaster Response Force , State Disaster Response Force , and other agencies are involved in the search. Efforts were also being made to find out if anyone else other than Padhiyar was trapped under the large slab that collapsed and fell into the river, the official said. Teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory and Regional Transport Office inspected the site on Saturday to help in the police investigation. Following the accident, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel suspended four engineers from the state Roads and Buildings Department. Minister Rushikesh Patel has said that a high-level probe committee of the state's roads and buildings department will submit a detailed report in 30 days. Out of the 7,000 bridges in the state that have been surveyed, the government has identified those that need repairs or require construction of a new one, he has said. Gujarat has witnessed six incidents of bridge collapse since 2021. In December 2021, a slab collapsed during the construction of the Mumatpura flyover on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city. Nobody was injured in the incident. In October 2022, as many as 135 persons were killed when a British-era suspension bridge over the Machchhu River in Morbi town collapsed. In June 2023, a newly built bridge on the Mindhola River in the Tapi district collapsed. No one was hurt in the accident. In September 2023, four persons were injured after a portion of an old bridge on the Bhogavo River in Surendranagar district collapsed when a 40-tonne dumper was navigating it near Wadhwan city. In October 2023, two persons sitting in an autorickshaw died after six concrete girders or slabs, which were installed on the pillars of an under-construction bridge near the RTO Circle in Palanpur town of Banaskantha, collapsed. In August 2024, a small bridge on the Bhogavo River, connecting Habiyasar village with Chotila town in Surendranagar district, collapsed after a sudden rise in water following discharge from an overflowing dam. No casualties were reported in the incident. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Print
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Gujarat to Bihar to Pune, India's bridges are collapsing. Cutting corners on safety
At least 12 people have died in the collapse of the Gambhira bridge, which connects central Gujarat to the Saurashtra region. Now, reports suggest that local residents had raised concerns about the safety of the bridge years ago, but no action was taken. 'I was screaming for help. There were seven passengers in our van. We left at 6.30 am and reached the bridge around 7. When we were crossing, a portion collapsed, causing many vehicles to fall into the river,' said Padhiyar. New Delhi: Thirty-five-year-old Sonal Padhiyar set out from Vadodara early Thursday morning with her husband and two young children to visit a temple in Bagdana, Bhavnagar. Just a few kilometres into the 280 km journey, the trip came to a horrific end. The Gambhira bridge collapsed, and their van plunged into the Mahisagar river, killing her four-year-old daughter and one-year-old son. The Gambhira bridge is only the latest in a series of such incidents. India's bridges have been collapsing for years, pointing to a larger problem plaguing our infrastructure projects. Lack of safety measures and widespread corruption in public works contracts, especially in local civic projects, is rampant. This neglect is costing innocent lives. India can't call itself a future economic superpower without getting its basic civic infrastructure right. And that is why the recent bridge collapses are ThePrint Newsmaker of the Week. In June this year, a 30-year-old bridge collapsed in Pune, killing four people. In Bihar last year, 10 bridges collapsed within just over two weeks. Several of these bridges fell before they were even inaugurated, raising serious questions about the quality of materials used and the role of contractors. Many have alleged that tenders are won through bribes. On 9 July, as the Gambhira bridge gave way, a van, a tanker, an autorickshaw, and multiple two-wheelers were swept into the river. Among the dead were two children, their father, a man on his way to work, and an entire family headed to the temple. Sonalben Padhiyar was the only survivor. The Gujarat government has declared it a tragedy and initiated the investigation, but this too is part of the same cycle: warnings get ignored, tragedy strikes, an inquiry is ordered, sometimes compensation is announced. Then there's silence—until the next collapse. The Gambhira bridge was built in 1985. Letters of warning about cracks and corroded slabs had been sent to the Roads & Buildings Department as early as 2021. In 2022, the bridge had reportedly been deemed unfit for use, but not even a warning was sent out to the residents. Every day, people crossed the bridge, unaware of the danger that lay beneath their feet In Gujarat's Morbi bridge collapse, around 135 people had lost their lives. That was nearly three years ago. And yet, here we are again. Also Read: 4 dead, 32 injured in bridge collapse over Indrayani River near Pune, 10-15 people feared swept away Safety and infrastructure The Modi government has been heavily promoting its 'Viksit Bharat' vision. From expressways to metros, from Setu Bharatam to PM Gati Shakti, India has seen a massive infrastructure push. Mega projects like the Chenab bridge and marquee freight corridors are underway, but the foundation beneath it all is crumbling. A survey by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in 2017 reported that over 6,500 bridges on national highways were in a 'distressed' condition, with 20 bridges over a century old being decommissioned as an urgent priority. 'Visual as well as equipment-based periodical inspection, evaluation and monitoring has been mandated for NHs, including bridges, to ensure that structural integrity of various components…is maintained through timely repair/rehabilitation intervention,' the ministry said in a Lok Sabha reply last November. But the care and maintenance for such infrastructure still faces neglect. At the local level, it's either a paucity of funds or a lack of urgency. Accountability in the tendering process is weak, and private contractors have created a dangerous ecosystem of cutting costs for more profits. In many cases, contracts are not given on the merit of the contractor but on the basis of political connections or under-the-table payments. Many evade the burden of following safety protocols and facing audits by paying bribes. Safety certificates are manipulated, mandatory site inspections and load tests are also often rigged. India is building time bombs and the system appears to be designed to reward speed and cost-cutting, not safety. Views are personal. (Edited by Asavari Singh)
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Time of India
Drunk cop in uniform rams vehicles in Vadodara, suspended
Vadodara: In a shocking case of law enforcer turning lawbreaker, a police sub-inspector — clad in uniform and allegedly drunk — turned the city streets into a danger zone on Saturday night, ramming into vehicles and leaving citizens stunned. What started as a routine evening for commuters near Chhani bridge quickly turned into chaos when the inebriated officer ploughed through a two-wheeler and a car, triggering outrage, video evidence, and swift disciplinary action. The accused, Y H Padhiyar, was posted in Rajpipla under the Narmada district police and was reportedly driving home to Botad while on leave. According to police reports, Padhiyar first hit a two-wheeler driven by Ankita Gadhvi near Chhani gurudwara and sped away. Moments later, he rammed into a car, finally coming to a stop some distance away. Eyewitnesses confronted Padhiyar, who was seen in his police uniform and visibly intoxicated, slurring and arguing with locals who tried to stop him. The situation escalated until city police arrived at the scene. Bystanders also recorded videos of the incident, which soon went viral on social media. A complaint was filed by Gadhvi, who suffered minor injuries in the crash. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo During the investigation, police found two liquor bottles inside Padhiyar's vehicle. The Narmada district superintendent of police took swift action, suspending Padhiyar on Sunday and ordering a departmental inquiry. "This behaviour is unacceptable, especially from someone in uniform. We are taking strict action," a senior official said. The incident has sparked comparisons with the infamous Rakshit Chaurasia case in March, in which a drugged law student plowed into three two-wheelers, killing one woman and injuring seven others. Police said such cases of drunk driving have seen a sharp rise in the last two months. In response, city authorities have intensified night patrolling and launched special drives to catch intoxicated drivers before they cause harm.
