Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel revealed during the Monsoon Assembly session on Monday that the Gambhira bridge in Vadodara, which collapsed on July 9, 2025, killing 22 people, had been inspected on May 15, 2025, just two months prior.

Responding to Congress MLAs Amit Chavda and Imran Khedawala, Patel, who oversees the Roads and Buildings Department, said four officials were suspended for negligence after failing to act on the inspection’s findings regarding the bridge’s structural stability.

The 40-year-old bridge near Gambhira village, connecting Anand and Vadodara districts, collapsed into the Mahisagar River, plunging vehicles, including two trucks, a van, and an auto-rickshaw, into the water. Despite warnings from locals, including a 2022 letter by Vadodara district panchayat member Harshadsinh Parmar about “unusual vibrations,” only minor repairs were conducted, and the bridge remained open.

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Post-collapse, the government suspended four engineers, blacklisted contractor GPC Infrastructure Ltd, and launched a high-level probe, which cited pedestal and articulation crushing as the cause. A ₹212 crore new bridge project was approved on July 13, targeting completion in 18 months.

Following the tragedy, the Roads and Buildings Department re-inspected 6,529 bridges statewide, closing 148 to heavy vehicles and 18 to all traffic. Of 2,122 Narmada canal bridges, 53 were deemed dilapidated, with 43 fully shut and 10 restricted for heavy vehicles. Maintenance has begun on 30 bridges, with 23 slated for replacement, Patel told Congress MLA Anant Patel, emphasizing ongoing safety measures to prevent future disasters.

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