Nearly three years ago, officials from the Vadodara division of Gujarat’s Roads & Buildings (R&B) department were alerted in a letter about “unusual vibrations” being felt on the Mujpur-Gambhira bridge and that it was in a “dangerous” condition. On Wednesday, the 43-year-old bridge collapsed, killing at least 12 people.“Despite our warnings, the R&B department did not act on the matter,” Harshadsinh Parmar, a Vadodara District panchayat member from Mujpur who had sent that letter to local officials on August 4, 2022, told The Indian Express.The paper trail, reviewed by The Indian Express, shows that the Additional Chitnis (Revenue Officer) to the District Collector directed Parmar’s letter to the then Executive Engineer in the R&B department. When contacted, the current Executive Engineer Nainish Nayakawala said, “In our (inspection) report of the bridge, there was no major damage indicated. It was not dilapidated. The bearing coat was damaged and the repair had been carried out last year, accordingly.”The letter from Parmar, who is a Congress member, raised concerns about the “dilapidated structure” of the bridge and sought a site inspection, structural scrutiny and tests, and for the report to be made public.Read | ‘I knew they were dead…’: Survivors recall minutes after part of Gujarat bridge gave way“In 2021, the bridge showed signs of distress with the surface developing gaps at many places — so much so that one could see the river below from the gaps between the slabs. However, the R&B department undertook surface repairs and closed the gaps. Since 2022, we have observed unusual vibrations in the bridge, such that one would be overcome with fear if heavy vehicles were passing through,” Parmar said. The woman, a resident of Dariyapura near Mujpur, has been identified as Sonalben Ramesh Padhiyar, 46, who was travelling in an Eeco car with eight other family members, including her two minor grandchildren, when a part of the bridge collapsed on the end of Vadodara district.Bridge after bridge failsThe Gambhira bridge collapse marked the latest in a string of such incidents in Gujarat, with at least four occurring since 2021, including the Morbi suspension bridge collapse in 2022, which killed 135 people.Story continues below this adFollowing recurring complaints of poor construction, the state government declared that it had blacklisted several firms, suspended officials and registered criminal cases in cases of fatalities.In March 2023, during the hearing of a suo motu PIL before Gujarat High Court on the Morbi bridge collapse, the state government informed that it has formulated a policy for the inspection and upkeep of bridges in municipalities and municipal corporations.Four months later, the state government shunted out the R&B department Secretary with officials saying the move was initiated by the Chief Minister following multiple reports of poor quality work in newly constructed bridges. Videos of the bridge collapse show a tanker dangling precariously from the broken bridge. (Express Photo: Bhupendra Rana)R&B Secretary P R Patelia could not be reached for comment on the Gambhira bridge collapse. But the numbers tell the story:Story continues below this adOctober 23, 2023: Two persons were crushed to death after the collapse of girders of an under-construction bridge on NH58 in Palanpur of Banaskantha district.Four days after the accident, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who handles the portfolio of Roads & Buildings, ordered “strict action”, including blacklisting the contractor firm GPC Infrastructure Ltd, debarring the project management consultant firm, and suspension of two engineers associated with the project. An FIR was registered against 11 persons, including officials of the construction company.June 28, 2023: Just 42 days after inauguration by Patel, the Variyav bridge on Tapi river in Surat developed cracks following the first spell of rainfall. The Surat Municipal Commissioner suspended the technical assistant of the bridge cell, and issued show cause notice to the supervisor. Contractor Vijay Mistry and project consultant Geo Designs and Research were blacklisted. Vadodara district fire and emergency team, as well as the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), were rushed to the spot to carry out rescue operations. (Express Photo: Bhupendra Rana)June 15, 2023: Chunks of concrete fell off portions of a railway over bridge, which was yet to be inaugurated, in Valsad. Officials blamed heavy rainfall for the damage.Story continues below this adJune 14, 2023: The middle portion of a newly built 100m bridge on the Mindhola river in Tapi district collapsed. No casualties were reported. The bridge was built under the Mukhya Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, and Patel ordered an inquiry. Three officials were held responsible and suspended. The construction firm, Akshay Construction, was blacklisted for “using substandard concrete”.October 30, 2022: Suspension bridge built in 1887 over the Machchhu river in Morbi collapsed four days after it reopened following a seven-month closure for repair. Over 3,000 tickets had been sold that day and around 350 people were on the bridge when it collapsed — at least 135 were killed.Days later, a criminal case was registered against 10 persons with Jaysukh Patel, Managing Director of Oreva Group that had the Operation & Maintenance contract for the bridge, named as prime accused. All the accused were booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. All of them are out on bail.December 21, 2021: A part of a flyover bridge at Mumatpura at South Bopal in Ahmedabad collapsed after a slab fell through during a stress test. No injuries or fatalities were reported.