Gujarat High Court asks how Morbi bridge work was awarded without a tender

‘This (2008) agreement is one-and-a-quarter pages, absolutely without any conditions...by way of an understanding, largesse of the State for ten years, and no tenders floated, no Expression of Interest,’ notes Division Bench

The Gujarat High Court on November 15, 2022 asked how the Morbi bridge’s repair work was awarded to the Oreva Group without a tender, while hearing a suo motu petition on the colonial era bridge collapse tragedy in which at least 140 people were killed on October 29. 

The court also noted that “prima facie, the local municipality has defaulted which led to unfortunate incident”, and asked how the “largesse of the State” was granted to a company without floating a tender for such important work. 

The Division Bench of Chief Justice Arvind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh Shastri lashed out at the authorities and asked the government to how Ajanta Manufacturing Limited, the Oreva Group’s flagship company, had been permitted to maintain the bridge between 2017 and 2022 in the absence of any agreement, after the term of a 2008 agreement on bridge maintenance and repair had ended. 

The Morbi-based Oreva Group is a large corporate house engaged in the manufacture of wall clocks and electronic appliances. 

“This [the 2008] agreement with Ajanta [Oreva Group] is one-and-a-quarter pages agreement, absolutely without any conditions. This agreement is by way of an understanding, largesse of the State for ten years, and no tenders floated, no Expression of Interest,” the Division Bench said. 

The court held that such negligence on the part of the local civic body was deplorable. It also asked whether any steps had been taken by the local authorities to float a tender for the bridge’s operation and maintenance after the 2008 agreement had expired in 2017. 

“Under the said 2008 MoU [Memorandum of Understanding], who had been fixed the responsibility to certify that the bridge is ready and fit for usage is not forthcoming. The largesse of the State seems to have been granted without there being any tender floated in this regard,’‘ observed the judges.