Morbi tragedy: 9 arrests made; Modi to visit bridge collapse site on Tuesday
NEW DELHI/MORBI: Expressing grief over the collapse of the suspension bridge at Morbi in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi got visibly emotional and said his heart and mind were with the victims. Modi will visit the site of one of the worst tragedies in recent times on Tuesday.
The police on Monday arrested nine persons, including four from the Oreva group that was managing the Morbi bridge, and filed a case against firms tasked with the maintenance and operation of the British-era structure which collapsed, killing 134 people including 45 children.
Video footage emerged of the moments before Sunday evening’s deadly collapse, purporting to show the bridge beginning to shake and snapping in a few seconds, taking down scores of visitors.
Rajkot Range IGP Ashok Kumar Yadav said among the arrested were two managers and two ticket booking clerks of the Oreva group. The other five include two repairing contractors hired by the Oreva group and three persons working at the bridge as security personnel.
A five-member Special Investigative Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the collapse. The police registered an FIR on charges of culpable homicide against agencies. “We will conduct a thorough inquiry and will not spare the guilty,” said IGP Yadav at a press conference/
A day after the bridge collapsed, rescue operations continued as the authorities looked for survivors. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and minister of state for home Harsh Sanghavi remained in Morbi during the night to oversee the rescue operations.
Modi, who cancelled his planned roadshow to be held in Ahmedabad on Monday due to the tragedy, got emotional as he offered floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 147th birth anniversary at the “Statue of Unity” at Kevadia, and said: “While I am in Ekta Nagar my mind is with the victims of Morbi. Rarely in my life would I have experienced such pain. On one hand, there is a pain-riddled heart and on the other there is a path to duty”.
The PM pledged that the Gujarat government and the Centre would extend all possible assistance.
Fingers are being pointed at the Ajanta Oreva group, that was given the contract for renovation and maintenance of the bridge. Questions were being raised on how the company, known for manufacturing clocks, e-bikes, heaters and other electrical gadgets, was awarded the contract.
Reports emanating from the state indicated that the Oreva group claimed to have completed the renovation at the cost of Rs. 2 crore.
It was learnt the contract was signed between the Morbi municipal corporation and the Ajanta Oreva group in March this year and was valid till 2037. The terms of the agreement apparently stated a period of between eight to 10 months should be there for trials and maintenance before opening the bridge.
The company allegedly transgressed the laid-down norms and opened the bridge in just five months. The civic body claimed that it was “not informed” by the company about the opening of the bridge to the public.
It was claimed that following the renovation, it was the responsibility of the civic body to check the bridge and issue a “no-objection certificate (NOC)”.
It is learnt that Lok Sabha member from Rajkot Mohan Kundariya also lost 12 of his relatives in the bridge collapse. “Four daughters of the brother-in-law of my elder brother, the husbands of three of them and five children were killed in the accident. They belonged to different villages in Tankara taluka and were settled in Morbi,” said Kundariya, adding that strict action “will be taken against those responsible for the incident”.
