Morbi, a city located in Gujarat, experienced a tragic incident on Sunday, 30th October. The 137-year-old Morbi suspension bridge collapsed, killing more than 140 innocent, unaware civilians and injuring more than 180 others. The bridge, built over the Machchhu River in Gujarat, was regulated by the Morbi Municipal Corporation for 58 years. In 2007, the municipality signed a contract with the Morbi based private company Oreva to maintain the bridge for the next 15 years. The bridge, after six months of repair work, was opened for public use a few days prior to Diwali and the Gujarati New Year. At the re-opening ceremony, Oreva's managing director confidently claimed that people could enjoy a "care-free adventure" and the bridge would need no major work for another 8-10 years.
The primary fault of the incident is of the municipality which carelessly gave the task of managing such a delicate bridge to the Oreva Company, known for making clocks. The task was taken up by a subdivision of the Oreva Company which had been established in 2008 with no experience in the field. How could the municipal corporation be so careless and risk the lives of so many civilians? The second social issue hidden in this incident is the unethical earning of money. As per the latest reports, it is claimed that out of the 2 crore rupees given to the company for this task, only about Rs. 12 Lakh was used (6% of the sum). The remaining money was never returned to the municipality by the company nor was a break-up given to the police after the accident. A member of the probe panel, said that the sub-contractor has merely applied painting, greasing and conducted other superficial works. This is a clear episode of corruption which has cost the lives of helpless citizens. According to another report submitted by the police, it was found that in the contract between the Oreva company and the Morbi Municipal Corporation there was no safety clause. The company was not required to obtain a fitness certificate for the bridge nor was the government supposed to seek one. How could the local authorities miss out on the most crucial factor? There was not even a body of authorities to regulate the number of people getting on the bridge which caused the bridge to become even more unstable.
The tragic collapse of the Morbi bridge is an infrastructural setback India cannot unsee. It has risen so many questions which will not settle down this time unanswered. Are accidents the eye openers to repair transport facilities? Are local authorities showing an unconcerned attitude to public safety on the roads? It is time we ask these questions and find answers or else we could be the next to face such a catastrophe.
Comments