Morbi Bridge reopened without permission; No safety audit was done, says Civic official

Morbi, Oct 31: As more than 91 people lose their lives in the bridge collapse that happened in Gujarat's Morbi district on Sunday, Morbi Municipal Committee's Chief Executive Officer Sandeepsinh Zala, in a shocking revelation, said the bridge was re-opened to visitors without notifying us and therefore, we couldn't get a safety audit of the bridge conducted.

"The bridge is a property of the Morbi municipality, but we had handed it over to Oreva Group a few months ago for maintenance and operations for a duration of 15 years. However, the private firm threw the bridge open to visitors without notifying us and therefore, we couldn't get a safety audit of the bridge conducted," he said.

"It was opened to the public after the completion of the renovation work. But the local municipality had not yet issued any fitness certificate (after the renovation work)," he told The Indian Express.

An "engineering marvel" built at the turn of the 19th century, the suspension bridge was said to reflect "the progressive and scientific nature of the rulers of Morbi," as per its description on the district collectorate website.

Sir Waghji Thakor, who ruled Morbi till 1922, was inspired by the Colonial influence and decided to construct the bridge, an "artistic and technological marvel" of that period, to connect Darbargadh Palace with Nazarbag Palace (the residences of the then royalty).

The bridge was 1.25 metres wide and spanned 233 metres, and was meant to give a unique identity to Morbi using the latest technology available in those days in Europe, as per the collectorate website.