A suspension bridge, a tourist attraction in Gujarat’s Morbi town, collapsed

A suspension bridge, a tourist attraction in Gujarat’s Morbi town, collapsed

A suspension bridge, a tourist attraction in Gujarat’s Morbi town, collapsed, sending hundreds of revelers into the Machchhu river below and killing at least 140 people. At least 47 of the dead were children.

History

• The Bridge was inaugurated in 1879. It was renovated and opened on October 26, four days before the tragedy.

Aftermath

• The police have arrested nine people, including two officials of the company that is now under a cloud, and the government has announced compensation to the kin of the victims.
• A thorough inquiry and the fixing of accountability must follow quickly.
• The findings should be made public as soon as possible, and the guilty must face exemplary punishment.

Systematic failure or mishappen

• A company that seems to have had no apparent expertise or track record in the field was awarded the contract.
• There are questions about the fitness of the bridge; in any case, it was not intended to carry more than 150 people at a time, according to reports.
• There was no crowd control as hundreds were on the bridge when it snapped.
• All these point to a major failure of governance at various levels.

State of errors - Gujarat

• Gujarat is among the richer States of India, but it has often faced governance challenges — its poor management of the pandemic is a case in point.
• Human acts of omission and commission often cause tragedies and significantly change the impact of natural disasters.