Morbi bridge collapse | Gujarat govt. issues show-cause notice to Morbi municipality asking why it shouldn't be dissolved

However, the State government had on December 13 told the Gujarat High Court that it had decided to dissolve the municipality.

Months after a suspension bridge collapsed in Morbi town of Gujarat killing 141 people, the State government has issued a show-cause notice to the local municipality asking why it should not be dissolved for failing to discharge its duties.

The notice was issued on Wednesday by the State Urban Development Department, which directed the Morbi civic body to submit a written clarification in the form of a general body resolution by January 25.

Notably, the State government had on December 13 told the Gujarat High Court, which took cognisance of the tragedy on its own and registered a public interest litigation (PIL), that it had decided to dissolve the municipality.

The suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Morbi town collapsed on October 30 last year, killing 141 persons. The bridge was maintained and operated by Oreva Group as per an agreement signed with Morbi municipality.

In the notice, the Department has said that the previous contract to operate the bridge expired in 2017. Between 2018 and 2020, Oreva Group had written several letters to the Morbi municipality warning about the dilapidated condition of the bridge and also cautioned that a serious accident may occur if the bridge remains open to the public in such a condition.

However, the civic body did not take cognisance of such warnings by the company, the notice said.

Moreover, the municipality did not take any concrete action to take over the bridge from the company in 2017 after the completion of the contract and remained inactive despite knowing the situation of the bridge, it said.