‘God answered my prayers…’: 28-day wait later, businessman gets back his tanker stuck on broken Vadodara bridge

This tanker is the same vehicle which, for almost a month, had been precariously perched on the edge of the Mujpur-Gambhira bridge, right where a segment of the structure collapsed and led to the death of 22 people on the morning of July 9.

A resident of Bharuch, Pal said, “On that fateful day, the tanker was on its way from Ahmedabad to Dahej to refuel Hydrochloric Acid (HCL). It was fortunately empty when the tragedy occurred… My prayers and thoughts are with those who lost their lives. God was kind to me that my driver escaped safely and now my vehicle has also been removed without a big loss. I cannot stop thanking God for his kindness and so, I also performed a puja before taking possession of the tanker. It is almost like a new life.”

Throughout the process, the team from MERC Vishwakarma, the marine salvage agency that was pressed into action to retrieve the tanker, rooted for Pal.

“I am grateful to the government and especially to the Vishwakarma company that helped in the retrieval… Not only did they help me get back the vehicle, they also repaired it without any cost. I had pinned my hopes on this exercise and I am grateful that God answered my prayers and returned my assets back to me. I am not a big businessman and losing the truck would have meant a big loss…,” Pal told The Indian Express.

Although the staff of MERC Vishwakarma repaired the internal damage as a “kind gesture” — some of the damage was also a result of the vehicle being extracted from the spot where it was stuck — Pal said he would get the physical body of the truck repaired and checked before getting it on the road again. “The side body of the truck has suffered physical damage due to the accident. I will have it repaired and also have it undergo a thorough check for safety… But, the fact that I was able to drive it back and it has been repaired by the agency as a kind gesture, I am grateful…,” he said.

According to the district administration, officials of MERC Vishwakarma had retained the truck after extracting it from the edge of the broken bridge to carry out repairs on Tuesday evening .

Anand District Collector Praveen Chaudhary told The Indian Express, “The company was determined to hand over the vehicle in a running condition. Since they have some expertise in repairs, they took it upon themselves to get the vehicle running for the owner, especially since they felt that using some jacks and mounts during the time of the extraction had also caused minor damage that was repaired… We have also assured the owner of assistance in case of any claims that need to be made from his insurance company.”

Earlier, as the extraction of the truck was delayed beyond a fortnight, Pal had complained to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel’s office, urging him to intervene in the matter. Following instructions from the CM office, district authorities expedited the process.

In an operation that lasted five days, MERC Vishwakarma deployed marine salvage techniques, including pneumatic roller bags to lift and pull the tanker from the precarious 50-metre drop where it was stuck.

“I did suffer losses in business for 28 days as I only own two vehicles for transport. But now that I have the truck back, I will slowly get back to normal life. I will remain indebted to the agency that helped and also to the divine powers that I did not suffer an irreparable loss of any kind,” said Pal.