Morbi:

The civic body of Gujarat’s Morbi has taken responsibility for the collapse of a suspension bridge in the city that killed over 130 people last month, a document shows. 

The Morbi Municipal Corporation, in an affidavit, contended before the Gujarat High Court that “the bridge shouldn’t have been opened.”

The high court on Wednesday came down heavily on the civic body over delay in filing an affidavit, giving details of how the collapse occurred, despite two notices.

When the matter was taken up for hearing on Wednesday morning, the court said it would impose a cost of Rs 1 lakh if the civic body did not file the affidavit same evening.

On Tuesday, the court sought answers over the manner in which the contract was awarded for maintenance of the 150-year-old bridge to Oreva Group without floating a tender.

The municipality had given the contract to Oreva Group, which is best known for the Ajanta brand of wall clocks, in March for a period of 15 years. 

It is alleged that the company did not replace the rusted cables but installed a new flooring that proved too heavy.

The high court asked for the basis on which the bridge was being operated by the company after June 2017 “even when the contract (signed in 2008 for nine years) was not renewed”. 

So far, only nine staff members of the company have been arrested, while the top management, which signed the Rs 7-crore pact, has not faced action, nor have any officers been held accountable for the bridge having been reopened ahead of the renovation schedule. 

The high court has summoned the Morbi Municipal Corporation chief, Sandipsinh Zala, on November 24 when the case will be next heard.