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In Gujarat bridge collapse, HC seeks report from state within a week
Gujarat bridge accident: The Morbi bridge collapse had killed over 130 people.
The Gujarat High Court has taken a suo motu cognizance of the Morbi bridge collapse incident, issuing a notice to the state government officials including the Home Department, Urban Housing department, the Morbi Municipality, and the State Human Rights Commission. The high court has sought a report from the state, within a week, on the accident in Morbi that claimed more than 130 lives. Among those who had died were more than 40 children.
The disaster was one of the worst in the recent past that the country has seen. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in his home state when the accident took place. He visited the site of the incident two days later and met all those who were injured.
The court observed two minutes' silence on Monday as a mark of respect to the departed souls who lost their lives in the October 30 tragedy.
A division bench of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh Shastri said the report should be submitted to the court by November 14 when the next date of hearing has been fixed. Chief Justice Kumar said that the court has taken the suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the incident on the basis of a newspaper report published on October 31.
The bridge had reopened on May 26 after repaired. On the day of the tragedy, it came crashing down within moments when weekenders had gathered to soak in the festive vibes. Several people, including those from the firm responsible for maintenance - Oreva Group - have been arrested. The manufacturing group is rather known for clocks it manufactures.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has also agreed to hear a public interest litigation (PIL), demanding a court-monitored judicial inquiry. The top court would hear the plea on November 14.
The incident and the loss of lives has triggered huge outrage ahead of the Gujarat polls with the opposition blaming the BJP, which has been ruling the state for nearly 27 years.
Gujarat is set to vote in two phases on December 1 and December 5; results would be announced on December 8.
