New Delhi: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday directed the government to survey all the bridges in the state and ensure that they are in proper condition.
The order comes in the wake of the horrific tragedy in Morbi on October 30, when a British-era suspension bridge over the Machhu river collapsed, killing 141 people, including 47 children.
The accident has raised many questions as to whether the bridge’s contractor, Orewa Group, was qualified to carry out the repairs.
The bridge was opened to the public just four days before it collapsed into the river after seven months of repairs.
The high court on Thursday also sought a list of all the bridges in the state giving details about their status. It said the same should be mentioned in a certified report and placed before the court.
On 21 November, the Supreme Court asked the Gujarat High Court to periodically monitor the probe into the Morbi bridge collapse and also whether “dignified” compensation was given to the families of the victims.
A division bench of the apex court orally observed: “It is a great tragedy And this would require a weekly monitoring to see the award of contract, the creditworthiness of the party awarding the contract, the attribution of responsibility to the defaulters. The High Court has taken charge, otherwise we would have issued a notice.”
The bench said that the Gujarat High Court will certainly ensure that a ‘proper regulatory mechanism’ is put in place so that such incidents do not recur.
Meanwhile, a Gujarat court heard earlier this month that Oreva had replaced the floor of the bridge, but not the cables, which ultimately could not take the weight of the replaced floor.
Nine people have so far been arrested for the bridge collapse, including two managers of the Orewa Group, two subcontractors repairing the bridge, security guards and ticket sellers who may have allowed more people to cross the bridge Will be
Read also: ‘Called but no one came’: Morbi Bridge survivors’ stories of terror and abandonment