On Tuesday, Morbi Deputy Superintendent of Police PA Zala who is investigating the case of the tragic incident of the bridge collapse which happened on Sunday alleged that the suspension bridge crumbled due to its poor maintenance. Zala said to the local court that the cables of the bridge were rusted and that had the cables been repaired, the incident would not have happened.
The bridge over the Machchhu River in Morbi, Gujarat, collapsed on October 30, claiming at least 135 lives and injuring several other persons. The bridge, which was over a century old, had just been reopened following its repair and renovation work. Notably, around 400 people were on the bridge when the incident happened, as the ancient bridge could not bear the weight.
According to a report in The Indian Express, one of the managers of the Oreva company who was given the task of bridge renovation stated in the court that the company was not at fault and that the unfortunate incident happened because it was God’s will. “It was the will of God (Bhagwan ni ichchha) that such an unfortunate event happened”, said Deepak Parekh in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate and Additional Senior Civil Judge MJ Khan. Parekh is among nine persons who have been arrested by the administration in the wake of the incident.
Meanwhile, investigating officer Zala sought a 10-day remand of four out of nine arrested in the case and stated that the bridge was reopened to the public without determining the permissible capacity and without government approval. “No lifesaving equipment or lifeguards were deployed… As part of maintenance and repair, only the platform (deck) was changed. No other work was undertaken as per FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) report by a team that came from Gandhinagar”, he said.
The officer reiterated that the cables of the bridge were rusted and that the incident would not have happened had the cables been repaired. “The bridge was on a cable, and no oiling or greasing of the cable was done. No documentation of what works and how it was done has been maintained. The material procured/used, if its quality was checked, remains to be probed”, the officer maintained.
The police investigation in the case so far reveals that the contractors who were given the task of renovating the bridge were not qualified engineers. “Fabrication work was done by them. The investigation indicates that the bridge might have collapsed because of the aluminum planks on the bridge”, confirmed Public prosecutor HS Panchal on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, advocate GK Raval who appeared for the four out of nine arrested managers of Oreva company said that the four had no role in ascertaining the safety of the bridge. One of the managers Deepak Parekh then said, “everyone worked very hard, from the managing director of the company to the lower level employees, but it was the will of God (Bhagwan ni ichcha) that such an unfortunate event happened”.
‘Make temporary repair and open bridge’
Raval further claimed that the contractors were only responsible for handling job tasks like welding and electrical fitting and that they did so based on the goods they received. Interestingly, a letter sent by Oreva Group to the District Collector of Morbi in January 2020 has appeared which showed that the company wanted a permanent contract for the bridge’s maintenance and that it would just do temporary repair work on the bridge until demands were fulfilled.
“We are reopening the suspension bridge by only doing temporary repairs”, the letter read. The private company was in charge of renovating the Morbi bridge, which collapsed on Sunday, killing around 135 people. It had signed a 15-year agreement for the bridge’s operation and maintenance. The contract was signed in March 2022 between Morbi Municipal Corporation and Ajanta Oreva Company and was valid until 2037.
