Morbi: The Managing Director of Ajanta Manufacturing Ltd, the firm that was given the contract for operation and maintenance of a suspension bridge in Gujarat’s Morbi town that collapsed on October 30 last year, killing 135 people, has Fearing arrest, has moved a court here for anticipatory bail. Case. Sources said that fearing arrest in the bridge collapse case, Jaisukh Patel filed an anticipatory bail application in the sessions court of Morbi. The petition is likely to come up for hearing on Saturday. Nine people, including four employees of Ajanta Manufacturing (Oreva Group), have been arrested in the case so far. These included two managers from the Orewa Group and an equal number of ticket booking clerks manning the British-era bridge. Patel’s name was not included in the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the police soon after the tragedy. Police sources said they would file a charge sheet in the case before January 30.
The suspension bridge over the Machhu river was being maintained and operated by the Oreva Group as per an agreement with the Morbi municipality. Patel’s move comes at a time when the Gujarat government has issued a show cause notice to the local municipality asking why it should not be dissolved for failing to perform its duties that led to the tragedy.
The government-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) had, inter alia, cited several lapses on the part of the Oreva Group in repair, maintenance and operation of the carriageway.
The lapses cited by the SIT included no restrictions on the number of persons accessing the bridge, no curbs on the sale of tickets, unrestricted movement on the bridge and carrying out repairs without consulting experts.