PM Modi reviews search op at site of Morbi tragedy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for an extensive inquiry into the collapse of a British-era bridge that killed 135 people in Gujarat’s Morbi town two days ago, inspected the accident site, and met the families of victims even as rescuers battled sludgy waters to locate the bodies of people still missing.

Built in 1879, the 233-metre-long suspension bridge spanning the Machchu river abruptly crumbled on Sunday evening — four days after it was reopened following renovation — plunging scores of people to their deaths. Police have arrested nine people and the government constituted a special investigation team but questions swirl over whether too many people were allowed to climb on to the “jhulta pul” (swinging bridge), if the authorities ensured adequate safety certification and whether renovation work finished four days before the tragedy was requisite.

Also read: Morbi bridge collapse: Renovation company booked for ‘callous approach’; 9 held

Modi landed in Morbi at around 4pm, and visited the site of the collapse where he was briefed about the rescue operations and what might have gone wrong with the structure of the bridge. He then chaired a meeting at the office of the superintendent of police, attended by chief minister Bhupendra Patel, minister of state for home Harsh Sanghavi, chief secretary Pankaj Kumar, and director general of police Ashish Bhatia.

“Prime Minister said the need of the hour is to conduct a detailed and extensive inquiry which will identify all aspects relating to this mishap. He also added that the key learnings from the inquiry must be implemented at the earliest,” said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. Modi also asked authorities to stay in touch with the affected families, and ensure they receive all the help they need, the statement added.

On the banks of the Machchu, local rescuers gave way to more trained government divers as the search for the final batch of missing people — authorities say at least two people are still untraceable — intensified. All over town, signs of devastation from the accident were apparent.

Rohit Patel, a local businessman who witnessed the rescue operations, said that he couldn’t sleep since the incident. “Our small town cannot handle so many deaths. Even during Covid-19, we didn’t see so many bodies at once,” said Patel.

Police have registered a first information report (FIR) for culpable homicide and negligence and arrested nine people — two managers of the Oreva group who signed a memorandum of understanding in March 2022 to renovate the bridge and manage access, two ticket sellers, two contractors involved in repairs, and three men in charge of security. But this has sparked allegations that no high-level official was being prosecuted.

The FIR, a copy of which HT has seen, says cables of the bridge snapped because of a mechanical failure due to improper repairs and management without quality checks. A senior Gujarat government official, who did not wish to be named, said that the kin of the deceased were given ₹4 lakh compensation and officials were in the process of reaching out to the kin of one other victim who is from West Bengal. “The compensation of ₹2 lakh announced by the Prime Minister will be deposited into their bank accounts through direct benefit transfer soon,” the official said.

Before holding the high-level meeting, Modi inspected the site of the bridge collapse, and interacted with those involved in relief and rescue. “Prime Minister Modi interacted with soldiers of Golden Katar Division involved in the rescue operations for Morbi Bridge accident, understood the complexities of the operation, lauded the selfless commitment and proactive approach in responding to the humanitarian tragedy and appreciated their efforts in assisting the local administration in rescue and relief operations,” according to a press statement by the Defence Wing of PIB.

“So far, rescue teams have recovered 135 dead bodies while nearly 170 people, who fell into the river, were rescued,” cabinet minister Rajendra Trivedi told reporters in Gandhinagar on Tuesday.

Even as the Prime Minister inspected the site, chief minister Bhupendra Patel and minister of state for home Harsh Sanghavi by his side, rescue boats and divers criss-crossed the waters below him, looking for the missing. A senior Gujarat government official said, “The armed forces and the National Disaster Relief Force are still in action. Two persons are still missing, and efforts are on to find them. A total of 152 persons were admitted in various hospitals after the incident on October 30 of whom 17 are still undergoing treatment.”

Modi also went to the Civil Hospital in Morbi where he met with the injured and their families. “He met the victims and asked them about the incident with sympathy. He also asked them about the treatment they received in the hospital,” Gujarat health secretary Manoj Agarwal said.

Also read: Rescuers battle lack of visibility, a bed of hyacinth in Morbi

The visit was however shrouded in controversy after the civil hospital underwent a facelift through Monday night hours before the Prime Minister’s visit, with several sections painted and re-tiled, with videos showing new water coolers also put in place. These images evoked a sharp reaction from opposition parties, with the Congress saying that the BJP had made a “tragedy an event”, and the AAP alleging that the hospital was being painted overnight so its poor condition was not exposed.

Pradeep Dudhrejia, medical superintendent of the Morbi Civil Hospital said, “In the last three days, the hospital has witnessed over 5,000 visitors. The wall near the main entrance got dirty and hence we got those parts painted.” He added that six patients injured in the disaster are still undergoing treatment at the hospital, and of the 135 dead, 78 are under the age of 20.

In Delhi, meanwhile, the Supreme Court will hear on November 14 a public interest litigation (PIL) that sought a court-monitored judicial probe into the bridge collapse. Chief Justice of India Uday Umesh Lalit accepted the request made by lawyer-petitioner Vishal Tiwari for the assignment of a date of hearing in a petition where he sought a judicial inquiry commission, adding that several old public structures across states should be audited for safety. Asking for the commission to be chaired by a retired Supreme Court judge, the petition contended that the incident shows gross negligence and government failure.