Gujarat CM Allocates ₹212 Crore for New Mahi River Bridge After Vadodara Collapse

Quick Summary

• Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has approved ₹212 crore for constructing a new two-lane high-level bridge over the Mahi River near Mujpur in Padra taluka.
• The approval comes five days after a bridge collapse in Vadodara district claimed 20 lives, with one person still missing.
• The new bridge will be parallel to the collapsed structure and restore connectivity between Padra and Anklav,as well as Central gujarat and Saurashtra.
• The Roads and Buildings Department has completed a survey and prepared a detailed project report for the site.
• Plans include widening existing roads to four lanes (7 meters wide),along with upgrading 4.2 km of highway leading to the new bridge.
• administrative sanction for the project has been granted, tendering is underway, and construction completion is targeted within 18 months.

Read more at The Hindu.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The decision to construct a new high-level bridge near Mujpur reflects an urgent response by Gujarat’s government following the tragic vadodara incident. While restoring critical connectivity between regions like Central Gujarat, Saurashtra, Padra, and Anklav appears necessary for local commuting needs, it also addresses broader infrastructure concerns highlighted by recent events.

This approval raises pertinent questions regarding safety standards in existing bridges. Proactively investing resources not just into reconstruction but also regular audits could prevent similar disasters going forward. Additionally,maximizing transparency during project execution-given its tight timeline of 18 months-will be crucial for public trust.

In every infrastructure project involving large-scale spending like ₹212 crore-approved funding stakeholder conversations/data remain pivotal-future collapse contexts/questions