3 min readVadodaraMay 26, 2026 09:44 PM IST
With just over a month to July 9, which marks one year of the Gambhira bridge collapse in Vadodara that killed 22 people and triggered widespread outrage over dilapidated public infrastructure works, fresh allegations of “poor quality” bridge construction by MLA Ketan Inamdar of the ruling party, stirred a political storm on Tuesday.
Inamdar, who has written to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel alleging serious irregularities in the construction of a newly built bridge over Meshri River in his Assembly Constituency in Vadodara district, has sought a “vigilance inquiry” into the matter.
Inamdar, who is known for writing strongly worded letters to the government, has claimed that cracks and damaged RCC surfaces have appeared despite the structure being opened only recently. The letter concerns a bridge and an approach road constructed over the Karad and Mesri Rivers near Parthampura village in Savli taluka at a reported cost of around Rs 24 crore. In his complaint to the Chief Minister, Inamdar said cracks developed on the bridge road and portions of RCC had started peeling off was a “serious matter”. He alleged that “poor execution” by contractors and officials was tarnishing the government’s image despite large public expenditure on infrastructure projects.
The letter states, “The government spends substantial public funds to improve basic infrastructure and civic facilities for citizens, but due to poor execution by contractors, agencies or employees, the reputation of the government gets tarnished… A vigilance inquiry should be initiated… the strictest possible action against those found responsible should be ordered.”
Inamdar’s letter comes at a significant time – just a month before marking one year of the Gambhira bridge collapse, which led to increased public scrutiny on infrastructure safety.
Inamdar’s letter Tuesday has also reignited the internal displeasure among ruling party MLAs over the functioning of “sections of the bureaucracy and implementation agencies”.
This is also the second time in five months that a BJP MLA from Vadodara district has raised concerns over works of ‘officials’. On January 8 this year, five BJP MLAs – Ketan Inamdar, Akshay Patel, Shailesh Mehta, Chaitanyasinh Zala and Dharmendrasinh Vaghela – had jointly written to the Chief Minister complaining that officers were not functioning properly and questioning their administrative approach and attitude toward public representatives.
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On April 1, the Gujarat Roads and Bridges department (R&B) reopened Gambhira-Mujpur bridge after temporary repair work. A long span open web girder was launched on the two piers of the bridge from where the slab had collapsed on the morning of July 9, 2025, killing 22 persons. The bridge has been reopened to facilitate the daily movement of around 3,500 workers. The July 2025 collapse of the bridge had meant sudden disruption of routine for the residents of Anand district, who mainly used the bridge to travel to work in industries in Padra taluka of Vadodara district as well as Bharuch.
