Cracks appearing on a newly constructed Rs 24-crore bridge in Gujarat’s Vadodara district have caused political embarrassment for the ruling BJP as one of its MPs accused government officials and contractors of corruption and demanded a vigilance probe by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
The row erupted after Savli MLA Ketan Inamdar wrote a worded letter to the chief minister, alleging poor quality construction in a bridge project over the Mesri river near Parthampura village in Savli taluka.
The bridge, built along with the approach roads, was only recently inaugurated. However, visible cracks soon appeared on the road surface, while parts of the RCC structure allegedly began to peel off.
In his letter, Inamdar said the bridge over the Karad and Mesri rivers had developed faults soon after it became operational, terming the matter “extremely serious”. He warned that negligence by contractors and officials is tarnishing the image of the government.
“The government should remain committed to strengthening public infrastructure. But when shoddy work is done by contractors or officials, it tarnishes the reputation of the government,” the MLA wrote, demanding an immediate vigilance probe and strict action against those found responsible.
The incident has once again drawn attention to internal unrest within Gujarat’s BJP, where elected representatives have increasingly gone public with allegations of corruption, administrative negligence and delays in development work.
