Oreva solely responsible for Morbi collapse: SIT

Ahmedabad: The special investigation team's final report on the Morbi suspension bridge collapse has held Oreva, the company managing the bridge, solely responsible for the incident. The report, placed by the state government before the Gujarat high court on Tuesday, said Oreva's 'lackadaisical approach' led to the October 30, 2022 tragedy that claimed 135 lives. medium104327412"The lackadaisical approach of Oreva company management resulted into one of the most severe and tragic human calamities, which cannot be countenanced. For this, prima facie, the whole management of the company including the managing director and two managers - Dinesh Dave and Deepak Parekh, appeared to be responsible," the report said.Besides calling out 'serious operational and technical lapses' on part of Oreva's management, the SIT has also underscored the surreptitious manner in which Morbi nagarpalika's chief officer and three of its office-bearers acted in executing the maintenance contract with Oreva and did not place the agreement before the general body for approval.HC: Blacklist the company as their volunteering in public field is scaryIn a significant development in the Morbi bridge collapse case, a final report by the special investigation team (SIT) regarding the tragedy has squarely placed the blame on Oreva, the company entrusted with the management of the suspension bridge. This report, presented by the state government before the Gujarat high court on Tuesday, highlights Oreva's "lackadaisical approach" as the root cause of the devastating incident that occurred on October 30, 2022, claiming the lives of 135 people.The report unequivocally states that the "lackadaisical approach of Oreva company management resulted in one of the most severe and tragic human calamities, which cannot be countenanced." It points fingers at the entire management of Oreva, including its managing director and two managers, Dinesh Dave and Deepak Parekh, as appearing to bear responsibility. The SIT identified "serious operational and technical lapses" on the part of Oreva's management. It also highlighted the secretive manner in which Morbi nagarpalika's chief officer and three office-bearers executed the maintenance contract with Oreva without seeking approval from the general body.The SIT further stated with all 49 cables in proper condition, the bridge had the capacity to bear the weight of 75 to 80 people at a time. But corrosion on 22 of them drastically reduced the bridge's capacity.Moreover, there was no check on the entry of people or on issuing tickets. CCTV footage shows a large number of people on the bridge deck.The report concluded, "The incident is a result of lapses at the administrative level to follow due procedure as per government norms and also due to technical incompetence to repair the bridge and test it before opening it to the public."The bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha Mayee inquired if any action had been taken against people at the helm of affairs in the municipality.To this, the state government responded that the chief officer has been suspended pending a departmental inquiry, and the municipality's elected body superseded for failing in its duty. The order of supersession, however, has been stayed by the high court.The bench also inquired whether Oreva has been blacklisted for breach of the maintenance contract. When the company's counsel submitted that it was managing the bridge voluntarily, the chief justice commented, "Cannot you take any action about blacklisting (the company)? You must do it, otherwise they will volunteer for something else. Their volunteering in public field is scary. It was a charity you (the company) were making and in charity, you took the lives of people."When the court insisted that the government act against Oreva for violating the contract, the advocate general said that SIT's final report was awaited to decide the action. Informed about the compensation to families and the company's promise to look after the children orphaned by providing them education, shelter and jobs, the chief justice called for complete details from Oreva and the state government in the form of affidavits about steps taken to rehabilitate the orphans. It also asked if any orphanages had been made, which schools they have been admitted to and if they are residing with their families or in an orphanage.The chief justice also opined that the compensation to widows as provided by the government and the company will be insufficient and insisted that Oreva provide them with jobs, looking at the loss of breadwinner in their families. The court posted further hearing after the Diwali vacation.