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Rediff.com  » News » Morbi bridge's cables were old, no greasing done: Prosecutor

Morbi bridge's cables were old, no greasing done: Prosecutor

Source: ANI
November 02, 2022 16:39 IST
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In a major development in the Morbi bridge collapse case in Gujarat, the additional public prosecutor in the case disclosed that one of the accused managers of Oreva, the company responsible for the bridge’s maintenance, cited "act of god" in court as a reason for the tragic mishap.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi at the bridge collapse site, Morbi, Gujarat, November 1, 2022. Photograph: PTI Photo

"One of the two managers of Oreva (who have been arrested) told the court that it is an act of god," said additional public prosecutor, advocate HS Panchal.

 

"In the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report, the investigating officer (IO) said that the cable (of the bridge) was rusting away. The investigating officer says only flooring of the bridge was done and the cables were not changed, oiling-greasing also wasn't done," Panchal said, adding that prima facie the FSL officer says that it was an old cable.

Out of the nine persons arrested for the October 30 collapse of the century-old suspension bridge, killing 135 people, a Morbi court on Wednesday sent four people to police custody and the remaining five into judicial custody till November 5.

Asked about details of the accused sent to police custody on Wednesday, Panchal said, "Out of the four people who were sent to police custody, two are managers at Oreva and two others did fabrication work for the bridge. The five others who were sent to judicial custody are security personnel and ticket vendors." 

"In the report, the IO stated that the tender process did not take place and the contract was directly allotted," Panchal further said.

Speaking on the ongoing investigation, Rahul Tripathi, SP, Morbi, said, "We are questioning all the four accused in our custody and we are trying to establish the liability for the different lapses in the bridge renovation. We are doing a thorough investigation and if anyone's role comes up, he or she will be booked and arrested."

He added further, "We have given a scientific report to the court but details of the same can't be shared at this stage as it will hamper our investigations."

The Gujarat government has also constituted a five-member committee to probe the bridge collapse incident.

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Source: ANI
 
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