Morbi: The official death toll of Morbi hanging bridge collapse tragedy has gone up to 132 this morning. Minister of State for Home, Government of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghavi declared this figure during his briefing on the bank of river Machhu. The death toll reported by field reporters in Morbi is above 140.

Sanghavi said an FIR has been lodged under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 304, 308, and 114 in this case, and those found responsible for this tragedy will face strict actions. Sanghavi said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate this case under the leadership of the Range IG.

Sanghavi said that the State government has appointed a five-member panel to probe into the causes of the collapse of this bridge. He said all the members of the panel were asked to report at Morbi by 2.00 am today, and they have started taking samples and other procedures.

Sanghavi said the search operation in river Machhu continued through the night and may end soon after the bodies of two missing persons are found, most possibly from under the net of the collapsed bridge.

According to field reporters, a wall holding the water of river Machhu was blasted last night for the release of water so that the search operation can be sped up. Last evening one such wall was bulldozed using JCB machines for a speedy rescue operation.

Sanghavi said the bridge collapsed at around 6.30 pm a day ago and the rescue operation was started by locals as well as the fire brigade and police within 15 minutes. Sanghavi admired the local efforts that resulted in the rescue of several people.

Meanwhile, the Chief Officer of Morbi municipality told media persons that the records from the operating company for the bridge have been seized from their office. He said none from the operating company Oreva was present in the office. In March this year, Oreva was given 15 years contract for the operation, maintenance, and repair of the bridge which is around 140 years old. A repaired hanging bridge was reopened last week only. In the press conference, the director of Oreva company, Jaysukhbhai Patel had claimed that the bridge would not have issues for the next ten years. He also stated that the bridge was repaired at a cost of Rs. 2 crores. Oreva is a renowned company locally. Oreva office was collecting Rs. 17 per ticket as maintenance cost. Due to the Diwali vacation and Sunday, there was a huge rush to experience the bridge. A section of the media claims that an extraordinary number of tickets were issued and therefore the bridge was overburdened. However, there has been no credible supporting evidence to suggest the same. It is learned that the capacity of the bridge was overestimated by the operating company. While the old bridge had a wooden floor, the repaired bridge had an aluminum floor. One of the eye-catching detail which is supported by surviving victims also is the unruly behavior of visitors which could have caused damage to the bridge. Another matter that has come to light is that the repaired and reopened bridge had undergone no fitness and safety check from some proper agency. The Chief Officer of Morbi Municipality has confirmed that no such certificate was submitted by the company. However, the question arises in that scenario, why civic authority allowed the reopening of the bridge?

Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and MoS Home Harsh Sanghavi who reached Morbi last evening monitored the rescue, search, relief, and medical care operations throughout the night. The Chief Minister also visited the district collector’s office and the hospital apart from the site of the tragedy. Sanghavi told media persons that he is going to stay in Morbi today. The teams of the Army, Navy, IAF, NDRF, SDRF, SRP, local police, Fire, and local administration are involved in search efforts. While the floor of the collapsed bridge was removed in the night from the river bed, the net of the collapsed bridge was removed in the morning in order to speed up the search operation. DeshGujarat