Company tasked with renovating Morbi bridge reopened it without informing municipality, sans approval: Civic body tells HC

Ahmedabad The Morbi municipality has told the Gujarat High Court that the company tasked with renova

The Morbi municipality has told the Gujarat High Court that the company tasked with renovating the bridge, which collapsed killing 135 people, reopened it without any prior approval and without informing the civic body about the repair work carried out.

Also read: On the ground, Morbi bridge tragedy has little political ramification for BJP

The municipality also informed the court on November 16 that as per a 2022 agreement between the civic body and the firm, it was for the Ajanta company to “appropriately renovate” the bridge and only then open it for the public.

The civic body submitted the affidavit before a Division Bench of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh Shastri which is hearing a suo motu (on its own) case on the collapse of the bridge.

The British-era suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Morbi town collapsed on October 30, five days after it was reopened following renovation, killing 135 people.

Also read: Morbi bridge collapse | Generations wiped out in disaster

The HC had sought to know the reasons for allowing Ajanta Manufacturing Private Ltd. (OREVA Group) to use the bridge despite there being no approval for utilisation.