Mamata seeks judicial probe in Morbi bridge collapse

Mamata Banerjee to meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on her two-day visit to Chennai

West Bengal Chief Minister on Wednesday sought a probe by Supreme Court appointed judicial commission in the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy in Gujarat and raised questions on why central investigation agencies like “ED and CBI are not taking action against those responsible for the incident”.

Emphasising that accountability should be fixed in the tragedy Ms. Banerjee said, “Elections should not be important” and priority should be to stand by the family of the deceased and injured, provide them compensation and jobs.

About 141 people have died, after a colonial-era cable bridge collapsed in Gujarat’s Morbi town on the evening of October 30.

 The Trinamool Congress chairperson stressed that “she will not do politics” over the matter and to repeated questions referring to the Prime Minister, she said, “I will not talk anything against the Prime Minister”.  Ms. Banerjee said that she wants to visit Morbi, but added, “If I go then they will say I have come for politics”.

 She maintained that West Bengal has about 1500 bridges because of the riverine nature of the topography and many of such structures including Howrah Bridge are maintained by the central agencies and there are no regular inspections of such structures.

 WB CM to meet TN CM

Ms. Banerjee left for Chennai on Wednesday on a two day visit and said that she will meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin. “I am going to Chennai at the invitation of our Governor (La Ganesan). Today I will meet Stalin (Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin) who is our political friend and our ally,” she said.