Cracks in the recently completed Variyav Bridge of Surat on Tapi River caused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to launch a stinging attack on the state Govt on Wednesday, over 40 days after Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel’s virtual inauguration.
The bridge’s construction cost Rs 118 crore. The damage has been recorded at a time when Surat and other regions of the state are experiencing severe rains during the monsoon season.
Gujarat AAP president Isudan Gadhvi accused the ruling BJP of corruption in a video. “Similar damage cases have been reported for five to six bridges in Gujarat in the last one and a half months.” “We want a thorough investigation,” he stated.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has previously stated that corruption will not be tolerated and that those involved in such acts will not go unpunished.”
I request that the Prime Minister probe that corruption is rife in Gujarat and that the CBI or the Enforcement Directorate be called in.
“Over 135 people died in the Morbi bridge tragedy, but no CBI probe was ordered,” Gadhvi added, referring to the bridge collapse last year.
Dharmesh Bhanderi, an AAP councillor and the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) at the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), submitted a letter to the Chief Minister on Wednesday evening demanding an investigation by a retired High Court judge.
He said that the contractor and agencies engaged in bridge construction should be blacklisted, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by a retired judge should be constituted.
“The bridge was built for Rs 118.42 crore and was inaugurated by CM Bhupendra Patel,” Bhanderi told The News Channel. This is the best illustration of corruption.
Cracks appeared during the first rain storm.” He further said contractors and builders loyal to BJP officials are given similar contracts in the city.
The bridge joins the villages of Variyav and Ved in Surat. On May 17, the Chief Minister officially opened it. This is the 120th bridge in the city.
The bridge is expected to serve more than eight lakh residents in Ichhapore, Hazira, Chhaprabhata, and Variyav. The one-and-a-half-kilometre-long bridge has four lanes.
On Wednesday afternoon, numerous bystanders saw fractures in the bridge approach road towards Variyav. Visuals were also shared on social media.
Later, Bhanderi, former councilman Dinesh Kachhadiya, and others arrived at the site. The SMC’s Bridge cell staff, as well as Katargam zone officials, were also present.
According to an SMC official who spoke anonymously, “the water gathering in the approach area towards Variyav may have caused the damage.”
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