Express News Service
AHMEDABAD: The ongoing probe into the Morbi bridge tragedy prima facie found a series of lapses in its renovation, including failure to carry out its structural audit, poor choice of materials and the absence of an emergency rescue and evacuation plan.
Public prosecutor Harsendu Panchal flagged them to press for remand of all the nine accused arrested in the case. But Chief Judicial Magistrate M J Khan remanded four of them two managers of the Oreva group and two sub-contractors who had repaired the bridge in police custody till Saturday.
Panchal told this newspaper on Wednesday that prima facie the cables of the bridge were left untouched; only its wooden flooring was replaced with aluminum sheet. “The cables could have given way due to the additional weight of aluminum. It is a matter of investigation,” he said he told the court on Tuesday.
Additional Public Prosecutor Morbi Harshendu Panchal said the contract was awarded to Oreva, which assigned it to two unqualified persons. This was the third time Oreva bagged its renovation and maintenance contract.
A forensics lab (FSL) report submitted in court said the four main cables of the bridge were old. “In the FSL report, IO (Investigating Officer) said that the cable (of bridge) was rusting away. Prima facie, FSL officer says that it was an old cable. IO says only flooring of the bridge and not the cables were changed. Oiling-greasing, too, wasn’t done. Besides, the contractors did not have the necessary domain knowhow,” Panchal said.
Anchor pin brokeDue to the extra weight of revellers, the anchor pin of the bridge at the Darbargarh end of the bridge broke. “The anchor pin capacity was 125, but more than 350 were on the bridge on Sunday when it the bridge gave way,” a police officer said.
READ HERE | Morbi bridge: Newlyweds who plunged to their death and a nine-year-old whose cries saved lives
AHMEDABAD: The ongoing probe into the Morbi bridge tragedy prima facie found a series of lapses in its renovation, including failure to carry out its structural audit, poor choice of materials and the absence of an emergency rescue and evacuation plan.
Public prosecutor Harsendu Panchal flagged them to press for remand of all the nine accused arrested in the case. But Chief Judicial Magistrate M J Khan remanded four of them two managers of the Oreva group and two sub-contractors who had repaired the bridge in police custody till Saturday.
Panchal told this newspaper on Wednesday that prima facie the cables of the bridge were left untouched; only its wooden flooring was replaced with aluminum sheet. “The cables could have given way due to the additional weight of aluminum. It is a matter of investigation,” he said he told the court on Tuesday.
Additional Public Prosecutor Morbi Harshendu Panchal said the contract was awarded to Oreva, which assigned it to two unqualified persons. This was the third time Oreva bagged its renovation and maintenance contract.
A forensics lab (FSL) report submitted in court said the four main cables of the bridge were old. “In the FSL report, IO (Investigating Officer) said that the cable (of bridge) was rusting away. Prima facie, FSL officer says that it was an old cable. IO says only flooring of the bridge and not the cables were changed. Oiling-greasing, too, wasn’t done. Besides, the contractors did not have the necessary domain knowhow,” Panchal said.
Anchor pin broke
Due to the extra weight of revellers, the anchor pin of the bridge at the Darbargarh end of the bridge broke. “The anchor pin capacity was 125, but more than 350 were on the bridge on Sunday when it the bridge gave way,” a police officer said.
READ HERE | Morbi bridge: Newlyweds who plunged to their death and a nine-year-old whose cries saved lives
