Gujarat village mourns deaths of its own in bridge collapse — and threat to livelihood

“Taking a detour will mean travelling 70 km, instead of 10 km, to the factory. Four of our family members, all working with us in the same factory, have not returned home since yesterday after the bridge collapsed. They are doing two-three shifts. Only when we report for work will they be able to take a break and return home,” said Piyush Machhi (21).

Piyush was with Dharmesh Nijama (25), both workers at a pharmaceutical company in Vadodara. “There are many like us who were unable to go to work and relieve their family members working in the same firm,” said Dharmesh. Both got jobs in the factory after completing their training from the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Vadodara.

With limited employment opportunities and hardly any agricultural prospects, a majority of residents across age groups in Gambhira, with an estimated population of 13,000, depended on the bridge to commute to work mostly in pharma companies.

“Now with the detour, it would mean an additional financial burden of about Rs 300 every day plus the travel time,” said Harikrishna Machhi (37), who works at a chemical factory in Karakadi, nearly 30 km away, for a monthly salary of Rs 25,000.

Local residents say the two from the village who died in the collapse — Jashbhai Shankarbhai Harijan (58) and Kanjibhai Mailabhai Machi (75) — were on their way to work in the GIDC area when the autorickshaw they were travelling in fell in the Mahi river as the bridge collapsed.

“The village is mourning the two deaths but we are also worried that with limited travel options and poor resources, we have no way to reach our jobs now,” Laljibhai Amarsinh Padhiar (45), the sarpanch, said.

“Survival is a big challenge now,” said Alpeshbhai Valand (34) who works in a private company in Vadodara and runs a family of six, including a mentally challenged brother, within a monthly salary of Rs 24,000. “It is an extra distance of 40-45 km for me. I tried to make my employer understand the situation but I have been asked to report at the earliest without any expectation of a raise in salary,” he said.

The kilometre-long bridge connected Gambhira to Mujpur on the Vadodara side, and was also the preferred route for heavy-duty trucks and passenger vehicles travelling between Saurashtra and Central Gujarat.

The impact of the collapse was visible a day later at the Dwarkesh Manan hotel close to the entry point of the bridge from the Gambhira side. “People headed to work or returning from night shifts would stop by for refreshments. But now, there are no vehicles so we have closed the hotel… there is no point in retaining the staff,” the owner said.

“The administration does not realise what this bridge was for us. It was the link providing our daily bread,” said 19-year-old Piyushbhai from the Dalit Vas area of the village who dropped out of school after Class X following the death of his father four years ago.

“Every day, I take an autorickshaw and a state transport bus to reach my workplace and start my eight-hour housekeeping shift (at a pharma company). I am the only earning person in my five-member family, with a monthly salary of just Rs 10,000… I cannot imagine spending more money now just on travel,” he said.