Contractors who repaired Morbi bridge were 'not qualified': Prosecution tells court

New Delhi: The contractors who carried out repairs of the suspension bridge at Morbi in Gujarat were "not qualified" to carry out such jobs, the prosecution told a court in Morbi on Tuesday (November 1, 2022). Citing a forensic report, the prosecution said that the flooring of the bridge was replaced but its cable was not replaced and it could not take the weight of the changed flooring. As per the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report, prosecutor HS Panchal told the court that forensic experts believed that the main cable of the bridge snapped because of the weight of the new flooring. The collapse of the bridge on Sunday evening claimed 135 lives. 

"Though the FSL report was presented in a sealed cover, it was mentioned during the remand plea that cables of the bridge were not replaced during the renovation and only flooring was changed... Weight of the bridge increased due to the four-layered aluminium sheets for the flooring and the cable snapped due to that weight," Panchal told reporters. 

The court was also informed that both the repairing contractors were "not qualified" to carry out such work. 

"Despite that, these contractors were given repair work of the bridge in 2007 and then in 2022. So the accused's custody was needed to find out what was the reason for choosing them and at whose instance they were chosen," the prosecutor said.

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The magistrate's court remanded four of the arrested accused -- two managers of OREVA Group and two sub-contractors who had repaired the bridge -- in police custody till Saturday. The four who were remanded in police custody were OREVA managers Dipak Parekh and Dinesh Dave, and repairing contractors Prakash Parmar and Devang Parmar, hired by the OREVA Group.

Chief Judicial Magistrate MJ Khan remanded five other arrested men, including security guards and ticket booking clerks, in judicial custody as police did not seek their custody, Panchal said. 

Police had on Monday booked nine persons under Indian Penal Code section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

PM Modi calls for 'detailed and extensive' inquiry into Morbi bridge collapse tragedy

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for a "detailed and extensive" inquiry into the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy and said its key learnings must be implemented at the earliest. Modi, who chaired a high-level meeting in Morbi to review the situation, was also briefed on the rescue operation and the assistance provided to the affected families, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement.

"The need of the hour is to conduct a detailed and extensive inquiry which will identify all aspects relating to this mishap," Modi said.

Authorities must stay in touch with the affected families and ensure that they receive all possible help in this tragic hour, he said.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, who holds the minister of state rank, were among those who attended the meeting.

Earlier on Tuesday, PM Modi also visited the site of the bridge collapse and went to the local hospital where the injured are recovering. 

He also interacted with those involved in rescue and relief work and lauded their efforts.

Went to Morbi, which witnessed the horrific bridge mishap. Met the bereaved families and extended condolences. I visited the site of the tragedy and went to the hospital where the injured are recovering. Also met those involved in rescue ops and chaired a review meeting. pic.twitter.com/hAZnJFIHh8 — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 1, 2022

At least 135 people have so far died in the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy and 170 others rescued.