The civic body of Gujarat's Morbi has taken account of the collapse of the suspended bridge that claimed over 130 lives last month, according to a report by NDTV.
The report cited an affidavit where the Morbi Municipal Corporation contended before the Gujarat High Court that "the bridge shouldn't have been opened."
On Wednesday, the Gujarat High Court slammed the civic body asking it to file an affidavit by the evening or else pay a Rs 1 lakh penalty.
The bench of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh J Shastri told the Morbi Municipality, “Yesterday you were acting smart, now you are taking the matter casually.” The court also added, “So, either file your reply by this evening or pay a fine of ₹ 1 lakh.”
“The notice should have been sent to the Deputy Collector, but it was served to the civic body instead, on November 9. Thus, the delay in appearing before this court,” the lawyer added.
The court even yesterday directed the principal judge of the district court to serve a bailiff notice to the civic body. The HC has been repetitively asking for detailed reports on how the bridge got collapsed.
On October 30, the Morbi bridge got collapsed leading to the death of more than 130 people. Primary investigation indicates that there was negligence on the part of the renovating company Overa, a known watchmaker, that was given the contract of repair and maintenance.
