The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday ordered the Oreva Group, which was in-charge of maintenance and operation of the hanging bridge in Morbi, to enhance the compensation to kin of those killed in the bridge collapse. As many as 135 people, including several children, lost their lives as the 19th century suspension bridge collapsed on October 22, 2022.
The company had initially offered to pay Rs 3.5 lakh to the kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 to those injured. On Wednesday, senior advocate Nirupam Nanavati, appearing on behalf of the Oreva Group, told the high court that the company has decided to give Rs 5 lakh to the kin of those killed and Rs 1 lakh to those who have sustained injuries. However, a division bench of Chief Justice Sonia Gokani and Justice Sandeep Bhatt found that the amount was less and not in consonance with the Supreme Court judgement in the case of Sanjay Gupta versus UP State. Gokani was recently appointed the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court.
The high court then ordered the company to pay Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh to those who sustained injuries. The court had taken suo motu cognizance of the matter in November.
While the bench noted that the company has decided to take care of the orphaned children, it also directed that the benefit of various welfare schemes be extended to the children who have lost one parent. Advocate General Kamal Trivedi informed the court about the measures initiated by the state government to extend benefits of the schemes to the affected children.
The high court further directed the state government to have an authority to certify whether a bridge is fit for use. The court felt that it would bring in more accountability. Trivedi, meanwhile, informed about the systems already in place to monitor the bridges in the state and said that a similar policy will be applied to bridges under the state's urban development department.
The court was also informed that the Morbi municipality will soon be superseded. The way the municipality handed over the contract to the company without floating a tender had been widely criticized after the accident. The municipality authorities were even on record to state that they did not know that the bridge was thrown open after repairs.
Oreva Group head Jaysukh Patel, who was named as the prime accused in the police chargesheet, surrendered in January end, nearly three months after the mishap.
The Morbi bridge collapse had stirred up a political storm in the state and the Election Commission had cited it to delay the announcement of assembly elections. The ruling BJP, however, registered a thumping victory, breaking all past records, and also retained the Morbi constituency. In a smart move, the party replaced the sitting MLA and fielded Kanti Amrutiya, who had jumped in the river Machhu and helped the rescue operations.