Lagatar24 desk
New Delhi, Oct 31: A day after 141 people died in a bridge collapse in Gujarat’s Morbi, nine people were arrested. Among them were officials of Oreva, the company that renovated the bridge, ticket sellers and security men, reports NDTV.
Gujarat-based Oreva has been accused of violating multiple safety rules, leading to the huge tragedy just four days after the bridge reopened to the public.
Soon after signing a 15-year deal with the Morbi civic body, Oreva, a watchmaker, allegedly outsourced the “technical aspect of the bridge renovation” to a smaller company with an unknown record, Devprakash Solutions.
The old colonial-era bridge was in need of repairs when Oreva was contracted in March. On October 26, the day of the Gujarati New Year, the bridge was reopened to the public after being closed for seven months. By virtue of its contractual obligation, the company was required to close the bridge for up to eight to twelve months of upkeep and repairs. The police claimed in an anonymous FIR that opening the bridge last week was a “very irresponsible and dangerous move.”
According to the FIR, those in charge of the bridge’s repair, maintenance, and management “did not do the repair/maintenance work” properly. They were aware of the potentially lethal risks but “did not undertake an appropriate quality check,” it continued.
Tickets were sold for Rs 12 to Rs 17 yesterday to nearly 500 people, officials said, which resulted in overcrowding on the “hanging bridge”, causing the old metal cables to give way. A few on the bridge were seen in CCTV footage rocking the bridge, which could take the weight of only about 125 people.
