Private Contractor Who Opened The Bridge Four Days Before Its Collapse Did Not Have A Fitness Certificate
On October 26, the suspension bridge over the Machchhu river, which had been closed for maintenance seven months earlier, was reopened to visitors and the general public without a fitness certificate from the Morbi municipality.
The municipality granted the contract to the Morbi-based Oreva Group, which also manufactures e-bikes, in March of this year.
The inability to support the weight of roughly 150 people caused the jhoolta pool, constructed at the turn of the 19th century above the Machchhu river, to collapse on October 23.
A representative for the Oreva Group responded to inquiries by saying, “While we are awaiting additional information, prima facie, the bridge fell as a result of too many individuals trying to sway it from one direction to the other in the middle of the bridge.”
The bridge, which is listed as one of the attractions on the Gujarat Tourism website, was constructed utilizing the most advanced technology available in Europe at the time to give Morbi a distinctive identity. The Machchhu River’s Machchhu Bridge, which connected Lakhdhirji Engineering College and Darbargadh Palace, was 1.25 meters wide and had a 233-meter span.
The colonial influence motivated Sir Waghji Thakor, who governed Morbi until 1922, to build the bridge, a technological and artistic marvel of the day, to link Darbargadh Palace with Nazarbag Palace.
News Mania Desk
