Gujarat : Highway Blockade in Gamdi Village Leads to Chaos and Protest

HIMMATNAGAR,GUJARAT : The Udaipur national highway – 48 was thrown into disarray today morning as local villagers from Gamdi village staged a blockade following the tragic death of a fellow villager in a road accident. The resulting traffic jam extended over 5 kilometers on the Shamlaji-Himmatnagar highway, stranding thousands of commuters in the scorching heat.

Amidst the chaos, the villagers resorted to burning tires as a form of protest to express their anguish over the loss of a community member in the road accident. Despite efforts by the police to negotiate with the villagers and persuade them to reopen the highway, the mob remained resolute in their decision to keep the road closed.

The situation took a violent turn when the villagers escalated their protest by completely burning a police vehicle and pelting stones at other police vehicles deployed at the scene. Faced with escalating tensions, the police were compelled to use tear gas shells to disperse the agitated crowd and restore order on the highway.

In the midst of the turmoil, several stranded passengers took to social media, including Twitter, to draw the attention of the Minister of State for Home (X) to the dire situation unfolding on the highway. The blockade not only caused inconvenience to commuters but also posed significant challenges for those traveling on the Ahmedabad-Shamlaji-Udaipur-Shrinathji route, particularly in the extreme heat.

After hours of concerted efforts by the police and reinforcement teams, the traffic blockade was eventually cleared, allowing vehicles to resume their journey. However, the underlying cause of the protest stemmed from the villagers’ grievances regarding the delayed construction of an over-bridge at the site of the road accident.

Villagers claimed that the construction of the over-bridge had been approved but had not commenced, leading to frustrations among the local community. NHAI officials clarified that while the bridge tender had been awarded, the contractor responsible had been blacklisted due to delays in commencing work. Despite legal challenges from the contractor, the tender process has since been restarted following the vacation of the stay order by the High Court on May 14.