🚨 Bridge Collapse in Anand Adds to Gujarat’s Alarming Pattern of Structural Failures

“How Many More Must Fall?” — Experts Call for Urgent Audit as Public Trust in Infrastructure Crumbles

Anand, Gujarat — In what’s becoming an unsettling trend across the state, another bridge has collapsed — this time in Anand district, sending fresh shockwaves through Gujarat’s already fragile infrastructure narrative.

Fortunately, no casualties were reported in this latest incident, but the collapse of yet another public structure — just weeks after similar failures in Morbi, Surat, and Ahmedabad — has raised serious concerns over safety standards, maintenance negligence, and possible corruption in civil contracts.

“This isn’t just a one-off accident anymore,” said civil engineer Anup Sinha. “This is a pattern. A dangerous, preventable pattern.”

🏗️ THE ANAND COLLAPSE: WHAT WE KNOW

The bridge, which connected two key rural communities in Anand and was used daily by hundreds of commuters, gave way suddenly in the early hours of Monday. Eyewitnesses described loud cracking sounds, followed by a swift and complete structural failure.

The bridge had been built just 12 years ago, under a regional development scheme

Locals say visible cracks had appeared months earlier, but no action was taken

Thankfully, traffic was light at the time of collapse, avoiding a potential mass casualty event

Drone footage circulating online shows the central span submerged in a shallow riverbed, while fragments of the support columns protrude at odd angles — a haunting reminder of Morbi’s catastrophic bridge collapse in 2022 that killed over 140 people.

⚠️ A PATTERN OF FAILURE: TOO MANY, TOO SOON

The Anand incident is just the latest entry in a disturbing series of structural failures plaguing Gujarat over the past few years:

Morbi Suspension Bridge (2022): 141 dead, hundreds injured

Surat Flyover (2023): Massive cracks found, leading to forced shutdown

Ahmedabad Metro Ramp (2024): Partial collapse during construction, 3 workers killed

Bharuch River Bridge (2024): Structural weakening discovered, prompting emergency repairs

“When bridges collapse this frequently, the system isn’t broken — it’s ignored,” said urban planner Reema Thakkar.

🧾 WHO’S ACCOUNTABLE?

Public outrage is growing, especially as many of these structures were:

Built under fast-track contracts tied to regional infrastructure campaigns

Awarded to private firms with limited track records

Subject to poor oversight during maintenance inspections

Activists are now calling for a statewide independent structural audit of all bridges built after 2000.

“There is a disturbing level of opacity in how tenders are awarded and how inspections are conducted,” said RTI activist Ketan Desai.
“Who signed off on these bridges? Who ignored the warnings? These are not rhetorical questions — they are life-and-death questions.”

https://youtu.be/-hc-g4P5eNw

🗳️ POLITICAL FALLOUT BREWING?

The bridge collapse comes just months before local elections, with opposition parties seizing the moment to accuse the ruling government of negligence, misplaced priorities, and corruption.

Congress leader Jignesh Mevani tweeted:

“From Morbi to Anand — the story is the same: shoddy construction, zero accountability. Bridges are falling. So is public trust.”

The BJP, which governs Gujarat, has announced an emergency inquiry, and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has promised “strict action if lapses are found.” But critics argue that post-disaster inquiries have become routine without real change.

🧠 EXPERTS SPEAK: A CRISIS YEARS IN THE MAKING

According to the Indian Institute of Structural Engineering, over 35% of Gujarat’s rural bridges show signs of early degradation due to:

Poor-quality concrete

Inadequate drainage systems

Substandard steel reinforcements

Lack of annual load testing

“There is no unified infrastructure safety protocol across districts,” said Professor Arvind Doshi. “Until that changes, these failures will continue.”

🚨 CITIZENS REACT: “ARE WE NEXT?”

In Anand, fear has replaced frustration.

Local residents gathered near the collapsed site holding placards that read:

“We don’t need promises — we need protection”

“Don’t wait for deaths to fix what’s broken”

“Infrastructure isn’t a photo-op — it’s a lifeline”

A viral video showed one elderly man tearfully asking a reporter:

“What if this happened during school hours? During a wedding procession? What would we tell the families then?”

💬 FINAL WORD: GUJARAT AT A CROSSROADS

The bridge in Anand was never meant to collapse.
Nor was the one in Morbi.
Nor the flyover in Surat.
Nor the ramp in Ahmedabad.

And yet, they did.

How many more structures must fall before structural safety is prioritized over speed, profit, and public image?

Infrastructure is not just about building India up.
It’s about ensuring the lives traveling across it are safe — today, tomorrow, and forever