Morbi bridge collapse: Oreva Group managed bridge since 2008; latest contract gave it full charge: Report

The Oreva Group managed the Morbi bridge between 2008 and 2018 before renewing the contract again for 15 years

The Oreva Group, which has recently made the headlines for being the firm responsible for the repair and maintenance of the now collapsed Morbi bridge, was reportedly involved with the bridge since 2008.

According to a report by the Indian Express, the Oreva Group had a contract for managing the bridge between 2008 and 2018. However, it did not apply for renewal over reported differences with the municipality over ticket prices. Despite that, municipality officials claimed that Oreva continued to manage the bridge after 2018.

The publication also reported that after an intervention by the state government on ticket pricing, Oreva approached the municipality for a fresh MoU on June 3, 2020, which was approved months later on August 27 of the same year. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic—when the bridge remained closed—the agreement for renovation and maintenance of the bridge was signed in March 2022.

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After the renewal, Ajanta Manufacturing Pvt Ltd, the flagship company of the Oreva Group, got the contract for the management of the Morbi bridge for 15 years, with its authority extending to operations and maintenance (O&M), security, ticketing, cleaning, and staff deployment.

However, according to the agreement, only one aspect of the operations was in consultation with the Morbi District Collector and the municipality, namely, the price of tickets.

IE, which reviewed the agreement, reported that there was no reference in the agreement to an upper limit to the number of visitors allowed on the bridge.

Chief Officer of Morbi Municipality, Sandeepsinh Zala, told the publication the bridge lacked a fitness certificate and a safety audit could not be carried out as the Oreva Group had not notified the municipality that it would reopen the bridge on October 26.

Zala also said that the municipality "didn't have time" to order a ban on tourist entry or issue a show-cause notice to Oreva as the bridge had been opened just days before the catastrophic collapse on Sunday that claimed at least 134 lives.

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Meanwhile, Kusum Parmar, the president of the BJP-ruled municipality, told IE that the administration had "handed over the bridge entirely to Oreva and, therefore, ensuring the safety of visitors was their responsibility."

IE also reported that the agreement between authorities and Oreva categorically states that the "income-expenditure" for the management of the Morbi bridge would be Oreva's responsibility and that there would be "no interference by the governmental, non-governmental, nagarpalika or corporation or any other agency."

As per the agreement, Morbi-based Oreva was also given eight to 10 months from the date of the agreement to reopen the bridge after carrying out repair and maintenance work.

However, the Oreva Group reopened the bridge within seven months of closure for repair work, with the inauguration being done by group founder Jaysukh Patel.

In the video of the inauguration ceremony, Patel was heard saying, "In the old days, technology was limited and so certain types of material had to be used, as we can see that this bridge was made of wooden planks… We gave our requirements and technical specifications to the company to develop the material." Patel also said that the bridge was renovated "100 per cent at the cost of Rs 2 crore." His comments have now come back to haunt him.

As for the possible reason for the collapse of the bridge, one of the managers of the Oreva Group, Deepak Parekh, told IE that the company was awaiting more information. However, he added that "prima facie, the bridge collapsed as too many people in the mid-section of the bridge were trying to sway it from one way to the other."