AHMEDABAD: In a swift crackdown following the collapse of the Mujpur-Gambhira bridge, the Gujarat government has suspended four officials from the Roads and Buildings Department.
The action follows a preliminary investigation that revealed serious lapses in oversight and maintenance. Acting on urgent directives from Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, authorities suspended executive engineer NM Nayakawala, deputy executive engineers UC Patel and RT Patel, and assistant engineer JV Shah with immediate effect.
CM Patel, who has remained in regular contact with district collectors and the Roads and Buildings Department since the incident was reported on Tuesday, has been personally overseeing rescue and relief operations. His instructions led to the formation of a high-level expert team to inspect the site and examine the bridge’s repair history, inspection records, and structural safety protocols.
Following the team's on-site assessment and initial findings, the state government acted quickly to identify and penalise officials whose failure allegedly contributed to the tragedy.
In a further step to safeguard public infrastructure, CM Patel has ordered urgent statewide inspections of all bridges to prevent similar incidents.
The death toll from the Gambhira bridge collapse in Gujarat’s Vadodara district rose to 17 on July 10, a day after the 40-year-old structure gave way, plunging multiple vehicles into the Mahisagar River and severing a key link between Central Gujarat and Saurashtra.