Glass base of Atal Bridge on Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad develops cracks

The Opposition Congress attacked the BJP for failing to make public the fitness certificate of the bridge. Gujarat Congress spokesperson Hemang Raval said the party had been demanding the local administration make public the fitness certificate, especially after the Morbi bridge collapse. “It has been close to a year since the Atal Bridge was opened to the public and the BJP-ruled local body has not been able to furnish the fitness certificate of the bridge,” Raval said.

Security in place to ensure that visitors don’t step on the see through glass pane at Atal bridge that developed a crack. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

The team including senior officials, glass manufacturing and fitting experts visited the bridge to assess the damage. They concluded that many times glasses develop such spontaneous cracks because of several reasons. Despite the cracks, the glass is safe and can be used, their report stated. During the inspection, eleven people stood on the cracked glass section to check its strength.

The corporation is deliberating on ways to minimise such cracks in the future.

“Experts too have concluded that at times the glass breaks. But the four layers of glass are toughened and bonded with lamination, which makes it strong enough and not risky. To test the strength, eleven people stood on it today morning,” Jagdish Patel, chief general manager at the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Limited, told The Indian Express.

The bridge, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2022, has been reporting huge footfall. As a part of their city tour, various G20 delegations are also taken to the bridge during their Ahmedabad visits.

The bridge is still open to the public with the damaged glass section being barricaded. (Express Photo by Nirmal Harindran)

The bridge is still open to the public with the damaged glass section being barricaded. The glass is expected to be replaced in five days. The municipal corporation has a three-year defect liability with the company, under which it will be replaced.

On the reasons for these cracks, Patel said, “Usually the glass breaks when it is pressed and one of the layers breaks. But nobody is sure what led to these cracks. The glass experts are saying that it happens and that there is no guarantee for the glass.”

However, the corporation’s standing committee chairman, Hitesh Barot, told The Indian Express that the cracks could be due to the “crowd and heat from the water” below.

The Rs 75-crore bridge, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2022, has been reporting huge footfall. As a part of their Ahmedabad tour, G20 delegates were also taken to the bridge during their sessions.