HC takes suo motu cognisance of Morbi bridge tragedy
One-liner: The Gujarat HC on Monday took suo motu (on their own) cognisance of the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy and issued notices to the state govt and local authorities and also sought a status report in the matter by Nov 14.
135 die: The British-era suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Morbi collapsed on Oct 30, claiming 135 lives.
Repair by private firm: The bridge was thrown open for the public on Oct 26 after seven months of repair work by a private firm.
Notices issued: It issued notices to the state govt through the chief secretary, state home dept, commissioner of municipalities, Morbi municipality, district collector and State Human Rights Commission and relisted the matter on Nov 14.
Status report sought: The court said it wants to see some action being taken by the govt and directed the chief secretary and the home secretary to file a status report by next Monday when the matter will come up for hearing.
Oreva Group given contract: Morbi-based clock and e-bike maker Oreva Group was given the contract by the city municipality to repair and operate the ill-fated bridge for 15 years and charge tickets in the range of ₹10 to ₹15 for its use, according to the municipality documents.
Roped in experts: The Oreva Group on Oct 26 claimed that it had roped in experts for the repair work and that the material used was built as per specifications by specialised firms.
9 arrested: Police had arrested nine persons, including four from the Oreva Group, and filed a case against firms tasked with the maintenance and operation of the century-old bridge.
Source: PTI