The Gujarat government on Friday suspended Morbi Municipality’s chief officer Sandipsinh Zala in the wake of the tragic bridge collapse that claimed 135 lives.
The colonial-era suspension footbridge in Morbi, over the Machchhu river, was packed with sightseers around the Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals when it gave way on Sunday, sending people plunging about 10 metres into the water.
“The state Urban Development Department has suspended the chief officer of Morbi Municipality Sandipsinh Zala,” said district collector G.T. Pandya. The resident additional collector of Morbi has been given the additional charge as chief officer until further orders, he said.
The Municipality had given a 15-year contract to repair and maintenance the bridge to the Oreva group.
The bridge – 233 metres in length and 1.25 metres wide – was originally built in 1877 and had been closed for six months for repairs until last week.
Police have so far arrested nine people related to the incident on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Those arrested included ticketing clerks, three security guards who were on duty when the bridge collapsed and contractors that had been in charge of repair work.
Zala previously said that Oreva, a Gujarat-based company, had been in charge of maintaining the bridge and had not informed the authorities before reopening it last week, adding the bridge had not been certified as fit for public use following the repairs.
He was questioned by the police for several hours on Thursday.
Zala became the first from the local administration to face action.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who hails from the state and was its chief minister for close to 13 years, has called for a detailed and extensive inquiry into the cause of the disaster.
Assembly elections are due to be held next month in Gujarat. The government called off the search operation for survivors on Thursday. Local fire brigade, state and national disaster teams will be kept on standby, a government statement said.
Leave a comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *