Even as the death toll in Morbi hanging bridge collapse reached 136 and nine persons have been arrested, a lot of questions remain to be answered over the manner in which the tragic accident took place.
The rescue operations continued till the evening on Monday while a five-member special investigation team set up by the government began its inquiry. The FSL teams have also inspected the bridge and the area where the accident occurred on Sunday evening.
The over 140-year-old bridge was given to Oreva Group for a period of 15 years by the Morbi Municipality for operations and maintenance.
The bridge, which is believed to have a holding capacity of 100 persons, was apparently overcrowded when it came falling. There were reportedly over 400 persons and they fell into river Machchhu.
The bridge was opened after renovation last week. The renovation and repairs are believed to have cost an estimated Rs 2 crore.
On the day the bridge was reopened, MD of the Oreva Group, Jaysukh Patel said that they had got the specialised parts made by companies like Jindal and the repair work was done by a local company, which had previously also repaired the bridge.
Among those arrested include two managers of the Oreva Group, including its PRO Dipak Parekh. Others arrested are a father-son duo who were in charge of repairs, two security guards and two ticket clerks.
Questions are being asked as to how a civic authority can get into such an agreement that all responsibilities rest with the private company. After all, the civic body and the district authorities are mainly responsible for people's safety.
Morbi Municipality officers have on record stated that a fitness certificate was not produced.
It is said that when the flow of visitors increased, those at the ticket counters started distributing tickets from the other end of the bridge, too, as many had started entering the bridge without tickets.
The Oreva Trust charged Rs 17 for adults and Rs 12 for the children.
An important question arises that whether the ticket clerks and guards were not informed about the carrying capacity of the bridge.
The FIR does not mention any names and the police have said that as the investigation progresses they would add the names.
The state government has announced Rs 4 lakh for the kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, several of his cabinet colleagues and leaders of the Congress and the AAP have visited the site and also met the injured at the hospitals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Gujarat, will visit Morbi on Tuesday.
A high-level meeting chaired by Modi in Gandhinagar decided to observe a one-day state mourning on November 2.
