Gujarat: Morbi bridge reopened without 'fitness certificate,' contractor company booked
After the cable suspension bridge over the Machchhu River in Morbi, Gujarat collapsed on Sunday, municipal authorities accused a private company—in charge of the structure—of reopening it to the public without a fitness certificate, The Indian Express reported. The company—named Oreva Group—reopened the bridge after seven months on October 26 (Gujarati New Year) following repairs. A criminal complaint has been filed against the firm.
What did the officials say?
The Morbi Municipality reportedly handed over the maintenance and management operations of the 19th-century bridge for a 15-year period to Oreva Group (Ajanta Manufacturing Pvt. Ltd.) a few months back. However, the company reopened the bridge to visitors without notifying the authorities, said Sandeepsinh Zala, Chief Officer, Morbi Municipality. "We couldn't get a safety audit of the bridge conducted," he told The Indian Express.
'No fitness certificate was issued after the renovation work'
"It (the suspension bridge) was opened to the public after the completion of the renovation work. But the local municipality had not yet issued any fitness certificate (for the bridge after the renovation work)," Zala further said.
Private firm blames overload of people
According to TIE, the bridge collapsed on Sunday as it was unable to bear the weight of 150 people. The contractor company has blamed the overload of people for the incident. "Prima facie, the bridge collapsed as too many people in the mid-section of the bridge were trying to sway it from one way to the other," a spokesperson for Oreva Group told TIE.
What do we know about the accident so far?
In the unfortunate incident, at least 141 people died and 170 others were injured as the suspension cable bridge collapsed in Morbi. The number of casualties was confirmed by Gujarat minister Brijesh Merja. Besides the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force, teams from the Indian Air Force, Army, and Navy were also involved in rescue operations.
Twitter thread highlights similar incidents
Company indicted after the incident
Earlier, Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi confirmed to the media that a criminal case will be registered against the contractor and the management, who renovated the Morbi suspension bridge. "IPC sections for culpable homicide act, which cause death committed intentionally, and abettor will be invoked in the criminal complaint, the process is underway to lodge the complaint," said Sanghavi while addressing the media.
