Morbi Bridge Collapse: Investigations Reveal A Sorry State Of Affairs
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2022-11-04 03:06:26
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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack
View all posts by this Author
The investigation into the Morbi bridge collapse is throwing up startling facts which show that the rot is very deep in local bodies. The facts show that everything was going on in the most casual manner as if lives did not matter and no one was accountable.
A contract was signed with a private company which expressly prohibited government interference. Who allowed such a one-sided contract to be signed? Who is accountable for this?
It is being reported that the one-page contract was drafted in the most casual manner and did not specify how the bridge was to be repaired, what materials were to be used and once the repairs were completed, what tests were to be successfully carried out before it was reopened. This throws up the question whether local bodies are techincally competent to enter into such contracts?
No structural analysis was carried out and no one examined whether the company was doing its work properly. Who is responsible for this lapse?
The company threw open the bridge for public use ahead of schedule without taking necessary permissions. Was no one designated by the municipality to oversee this? How was the bridge allowed to be opened without permission?
Since it was a pedestrian bridge over a river, why were no lifeguards, life jackets, life boats, first-aid medical team, and machines for rescue provided in case of an incident?
These and many other important questions that are being raised give the impression that the Morbi municipality was running on auto-pilot. The government needs to overhaul the entire local governance system to make it stronger and more capable of looking after local needs. There is no doubt that local bodies have a huge role to play in the development of the country, but if they work like the one in Morbi, the country will continue to suffer.
