9 Arrested For Gujarat Tragedy, Including Staff Of Firm That Repaired Bridge

Nine persons were detained the day after 141 people perished in a bridge collapse in Morbi, Gujarat. There were also ticket vendors, security personnel, and representatives of Oreva, the firm that refurbished the bridge.
Four days after the bridge reopened to the public, the enormous catastrophe occurred. Gujarat-based Oreva has been charged with breaking numerous safety regulations that caused it.

The watchmaker Oreva allegedly outsourced the “technical part of the bridge renovation” to a smaller business with an unproven track record, Devprakash Solutions, shortly after agreeing to a 15-year contract with the Morbi city government.

The old colonial-era bridge was in need of repairs when Oreva was contracted in March. On October 26, the day of the Gujarati New Year, the bridge was reopened to the public after being closed for seven months. By virtue of its contractual obligation, the company was required to close the bridge for up to eight to twelve months of upkeep and repairs. The police claimed in an anonymous FIR that opening the bridge last week was a “very irresponsible and dangerous move.”

According to the FIR, those in charge of the bridge’s repair, maintenance, and management “did not do the repair/maintenance work” properly. They were aware of the potentially lethal risks but “did not undertake an appropriate quality check,” it continued.

According to officials, tickets were sold for $12 to $17 to close to 500 people yesterday, which led to crowding on the “hanging bridge” and the failure of the ageing metal wires. CCTV footage showed a few people on the bridge wobbling the structure, which could barely support 125 people.

Oreva Managing Director Jaysukhbhai Patel had told reporters that the company had finished “100% renovation with two crores” before reopening the bridge last week.

He added that the bridge would hold up for “eight to ten years” after renovation. It didn’t even last a week.A group representative was quoted by PTI as saying that “too many people in the middle of the bridge were trying to sway it from one way to the other” caused the bridge to collapse.

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