Gujarat Bridge Tragedy: 9 arrested, including 2 managers of the company that renovated Morbi Bridge

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• Oct 31, 2022 | Dhupali Das

An FIR has been filed charging the entities in charge of the bridge's maintenance and operation with...

Digital Desk: A day after around 134 people died due to a bridge collapse in Gujarat's Morbi district, nine people were arrested in connection with the incident on Monday, including officials from Oreva, the company that reconstructed the bridge. Among those arrested are two managers, two repair contractors, three security officers, and two ticket sellers.

An FIR has been filed charging the entities in charge of the bridge's maintenance and operation with criminal homicide.

"Following the filing of an FIR under several IPC sections, we detained nine people. The Oreva Company managers and ticket agents are among those detained," said Ashok Yadav, IG, Rajkot Range, in a press conference. 

The contract for the bridge's reconstruction and maintenance was given to Oreva Group, a manufacturer of clocks and e-bikes.

According to the FIR, the incident occurred as a result of the agency's "callous approach."

The FIR further noted that the individuals or entities involved did not pay attention to the quality of the bridge's maintenance and repair work.

It added that the agency opened the bridge to tourists while knowing that their "callous approach" to bridge maintenance and management could result in human deaths.

The more than a-century-old Machchhu river bridge, which had reopened five days earlier after Oreva's seven-month repair work, was crowded with at least 400 people when it collapsed on Sunday evening. Reportedly, the bridge could only support the weight of around 125 people.

Reports stated that the company did not apply for a fitness certificate from the Morbi district civic authorities and opened it to the public ahead of the schedule.

The business claimed that the bridge repairs would last another eight to 10 years. It also stated that the bridge was "completely" renovated for about Rs 2 crore.