Morbi Bridge collapse: Gujarat government issues notice to civic body
The government of Gujarat has officially issued a show-cause notice to the civic body questioning why it should not be superseded after it failed to discharge its primary duties. This notice comes nearly three months after the horrifying Morbi suspension bridge collapse incident, which claimed the lives of 135 people. The notification was sent on Wednesday by the Urban Development Department of Gujarat.
Why does this story matter?
- The notice from the state government came on the eve of a hearing of a suo moto Public Interest Litigation (PIL) initiated by the Gujarat High Court and provided the municipality a week to reply.
- On October 30, the bridge over the Machchhu river collapsed and killed 135 people.
- The incident triggered a massive nationwide outrage, and a probe was ordered last year.
Notice demands Morbi civic body be dissolved
The notice also mentioned High Court's asking the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government why it was not exercising the Municipalities Act's Section 263 to supersede the municipal body. Under Section 263, the state government can dissolve a municipality if it is found unfit. The department also said that the last contract to operate the bridge expired in 2017.
Oreva Group's warnings fell on deaf ears
Despite numerous letters to Morbi municipality between 2018 and 2020, the Oreva Group had reportedly flagged the bridge's dilapidated condition. As per reports, it had also warned that a severe accident might happen if the bridge stays operational to the public in those conditions. However, the Morbi municipality allegedly didn't take cognizance of the company's alerts.
Notice lists different poor maintenance of the Morbi bridge
"The company failed to hand over the bridge to the concerned authority and no corrective action could be taken by either party to improve the condition of the bridge," news agency PTI quoted the notice as saying. It also added that there is no restriction on the number of individuals accessing the bridge and no limitation on ticket sales.
Key findings of the Special Investigation Team
The notice cites the key findings of the three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident. It also mentioned the numerous shoddy renovation and repair work done by a non-competent sub-contracted company. SIT also reportedly found that the chief officer had signed a deal with the Oreva Group to increase the ticket prices even though the general body had rejected the hike proposal.
