Days before Morbi bridge collapse, firm claimed it had spent Rs 2 crore on renovation

Morbi-based clock and e-bike maker Oreva group was given a contract by the Morbi Municipality to repair and operate the ill-fated hanging bridge for 15 years and charge tickets in the range of Rs 10 to Rs 15 for its use, as per documents of the municipality assessed on Monday.

A day before, the bridge on the Machchhu river collapsed into the river, killing 134 people. The firm had claimed on October 26 that it had roped in experts for the repair work, adding that the material used was built as per specifications by "specialised firms".

After the completion of the renovation, the hanging bridge, originally built in 1887 by the erstwhile Morbi ruler Vaghji Thakor, was thrown open for the public on October 26 by Oreva Group's Jaysukh Patel and his family in the presence of the media.

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Post the collapse, Morbi Municipality Chief Officer Sandipsinh Zala claimed the corporate house had not acquired any clearance certificate from the civic body before inaugurating the bridge.

"The hanging bridge was handed over to Oreva Group for renovation by Morbi municipality. It was not in use for over six months due to repair work. On October 26, the company inaugurated it without informing us. They did not acquire any clearance certificate from us before reopening the bridge for the public," Zala had said late Sunday evening.

As per documents, the Morbi civic body had entered into an "agreement" with Oreva Group in March this year to maintain and operate the bridge. The agreement laid down that it was the private group's responsibility to incur the entire cost to repair the bridge and throw it open for the public after "proper renovation", which would take nearly "8 to 12 months".

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The agreement also stated the corporate entity will be responsible for the "management" of the bridge, such as O&M, providing security, cleanliness, maintenance, payment collection and deployment of required staff at the bridge for 15 years, that is till 2037. Morbi municipality had agreed the company can collect Rs 15 from adults and Rs 10 from children below the age of 12 as entry tickets for the first year, with a Rs 2 hike every subsequent year, as per the agreement.

After the renovated bridge was inaugurated on October 26, Oreva Group's Jaysukh Patel informed the media that his group had spent Rs 2 crore on the renovation.

"This 150-year-old bridge has been handed over to us by Morbi Municipality for 15 years for maintenance, operations and security. We spent Rs 2 crore on the total renovation. We had roped in experts for the repair work and the material used in the bridge was made by specialised firms as per our specifications," Patel had said.

As per the First Information Report, the 765-foot long and 4.6-foot wide suspension bridge collapsed "from the middle" on the evening of October 30 when nearly 250 to 300 persons were on it.