A bridge is a structure built over a railway, river, or road so that people or vehicles can cross from one side to the other. This mighty symbol for connection is also a powerful metaphor for a meaningful link towards relationship building and negotiations. Therefore any image of a broken bridge evokes multiple feelings- of disconnect, breakdown, separation, isolation and despair.
With fallen bodies, shattered vehicles, floating bodies and a watching crowd, a broken bridge seems layered with chaos, interrupting a pure and damaged silence. It is like standing in a museum, watching a painting of a vibrant sky, contrasting with the dull and destructive grays of a man- made disaster.
Every time a bridge falls, there’s an instant rain of ‘deeply saddening’ and ‘deeply distressing’ messages from leaders announcing compensations to the bereaved families. Here’s what should actually happen:
a) If the collapse was caused by negligent design, construction, or maintenance, individuals or companies involved in these processes should be held responsible.
b) If illegal activities, such as corruption, bribery, or falsification of documents played a role in the collapse, those involved should face criminal charges.
c) If the bridge was reopened without proper safety certifications or if safety regulations were ignored, those responsible for such oversights should be in prison.
d) In cases where the collapse results in fatalities, individuals or entities could be charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
In short all the top contractors, top engineers, top operators and top government officials should be questioned and held responsible.
But here’s what actually happens. A few employees from the bottom and lower level are immediately arrested. Even if the Managing Director is taken into custody, he is soon released after bail. The Godi Media blames the people for ‘crowding the bridge’, things go back to normal and we wait for another tragedy to take place. Any accountability or responsibility by those responsible proves to be a bridge too far!
The collapse of Gambhira Bridge, killing 12 and injuring others, simply highlights a systemic negligence putting the spotlight once again on the dilapidated condition of bridges in the State.
One immediately recalls the morbid disaster of the suspension bridge in Morbi that killed 135 and injured 56. But what is shockingly serious about the Gambhira Bridge is that this was a disaster just waiting to happen. According to the locals, the bridge would actually shake dangerously whenever vehicles passed through it. All repeated alerts about its condition were royally ignored by the administration. The locals also alleged that the bridge wasn’t just a traffic hazard but also become notorious for being used as a suicide point.
In August 2022, an activist Lakhan Darbar had actually warned the R&B Officer about its decaying condition. In a viral video flagging the condition of the bridge, the officer can actually be heard acknowledging that the bridge was structurally unsound and ‘would not last long’. Despite this, no action was taken. He even admitted that a proposal for repairs had been sent, and a design inspection team had been called because the department was concerned the bridge would not last long. Despite the alarming disclosure, no action was taken to prevent the tragedy.
Further underlining the pattern of inaction, a district Panchayat member had submitted multiple written requests for urgent repairs, none of which prompted any preventive measures. After a recommendation by BJP MLA Chaitanyasinh Zala, the Gujarat government green-lit the construction of a new bridge and yet nothing happened. Just nine days back, a local journalist also warned of the bridge’s poor state. Another video recorded in April clearly shows large cracks on the bridge’s surface.
Collapsing bridges are not uncommon and have always posed a significant threat all across India. But according to a 2020 study, in the last five years itself, 42 bridges have collapsed. In a survey carried out by the Central Road Research Institute, the report said that out of the 17 States, Gujarat topped the list. The second was Jharkhand and the third was Punjab. The report also said that nearly 75 per cent of all the bridges in Gujarat were rundown and decaying and needed to be rectified. That’s the Gujarat Model for you.
So what does all this say? Is the recent tragedy a negligent Act of God? Or a deliberate Act of Fraud?
‘Let’s build bridges, not walls’- said Martin Luther King Jr. Even if this metaphorical call for action is ignored; even if we cannot foster positive relationships to find a common ground of understanding; even if we cannot resolve our conflicts, overcome our differences and promote inclusivity; and even if we are incapable of building such symbolic bridges amongst ourselves, the least we can do is to take care of the concrete structures that are already there!
Nargis Natarajan is a columnist and author, The views expressed here are the writer’s own.