The result of giving the bridge work to the watchman - 135 deaths: instead of wood, aluminum was installed, the load increased ... the cable did not change, that's why the Morbi bridge broke

Posted on 2nd Nov 2022 by rohit kumar

Morbi's suspension bridge accident happened because of its new flooring. In the name of renovation, the wooden base of the bridge was replaced with four layers of aluminum sheets. This greatly increased the weight of the bridge. The old cables could not handle this load as the congestion increased and the bridge collapsed. Gujarat Police has given this information by filing an affidavit in court.

 

On the evening of October 30 in Morbi, nine people were arrested by the police in connection with the collapse of the suspension bridge. They were produced in the magisterial court in Morbi on Tuesday. In the affidavit submitted by the police to the court seeking the remand of all the accused, the weight of the bridge has been cited as the reason for its fall. So far 135 deaths have been confirmed in this incident.

 

Wrote in the remand application - the company only changed the floor

The Gujarat Police on Tuesday filed a forensic report of the bridge accident in the magisterial court. This report is submitted in a sealed cover. Public prosecutor Panchal told after the hearing that it is written in the remand application presented by the police that the repair work was not done on the strength of the bridge structure. Only the wood was removed from the bridge's flooring and aluminum sheets were installed.

 

When the weight increased, the cables broke and people fell into the river.

Public prosecutor Panchal said that during the investigation of the Forensic Science Lab, it has been found that the four cables on which the bridge rests were not replaced during six months of repairs. According to forensic experts, the very old cables could not bear the weight of the people including the new flooring and the cables were broken due to excessive weight.

 

The contractors who got the repair done are not worth it

The police also told the court that the contractors who were given the work of bridge repair were not qualified to do it. They did not have the necessary knowledge about the technology of suspension bridges and the strength of the structure. So he focused only on the upper decoration of the bridge. That's why the bridge was looking fit, but it was weak from the inside.

 

Four accused are in police custody and five are in judicial custody

On the request of the police, the magisterial court of Morbi on Tuesday sent Oreva's managers Deepak Parekh and Dinesh Dave, contractors Prakash Parmar and Devang Parmar to police custody till Saturday. At the same time, five accused including the ticket booking clerk and a security guard have been sent to judicial custody.

 

The extent of carelessness - did not even see the anchor pins on which the cables were tightened

The historic bridge of Morbi was claimed to be renovated for Rs 2 crore, but it collapsed five days after its opening. During the investigation of the structural engineers, it was found that during this time the strength of the anchor pin holding the cable was not taken into account. Due to the load, the anchor pin on the Darbargarh end of the bridge got uprooted and the bridge leaned to one side and fell into the river.

 

What is an anchor pin, and what is its function?

The cable to hold any suspension bridge is tied on both sides. For this, strong iron hooks are installed on both sides of the bridge by making a solid foundation. Bridge cables are tightened into these hooks and can be tightened or loosened as needed. These hooks are called anchor pins or anchor pins.

 

Where was the negligence in the maintenance of the bridge?

The work of renovation of the suspension bridge was given to Devprakash Solutions. He was responsible for keeping the structure of the bridge strong. He ignored the anchor pin of the bridge. Instead of working on how strong the four anchor pins on either side of the 143-year-old bridge are and whether they need to be replaced, the entire money was spent on the decoration of the bridge.

 

How strong were the bridge's anchor pins?

The anchor pin in Morbi bridge had a capacity of 125 people, but on Sunday more than 350 people were allowed to go on the bridge at once. The contractors and officials did not even notice that the bridge is 143 years old. Her anchor pins were not able to handle that much load. As a result, due to the burden on the people, one such pin broke and people fell.

 

Also Read: Morbi Bridge Collapse: High level meeting of PM Modi after meeting the injured of Morbi accident, said- every aspect should be investigated, families should get full help