Three years before the bridge over the Mahisagar river in Gujarat’s Vadodara district collapsed, killing 15 persons, an activist had alerted about its “dangerous condition” to a government official, who also admitted at that time that the structure “may not survive long”.
Social activist Lakhan Darbar, who runs an outfit named ‘Yuva Sena’, said he had flagged the concerns regarding the bridge during his conversation with a government official in August 2022. He added that despite the precarious condition of the bridge, the agencies responsible did not take timely action, which led to the tragedy.
Several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar river after a portion of the four-decade-old bridge, connecting Anand and Vadodara districts, collapsed near Gambhira village close to Padra town of Vadodara on Wednesday morning. The death toll in the incident has reached 15.
An audio clip of the August 2022 conversation between Darbar and the government official also went viral on social media platforms following the incident.