Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday directed the state government to file an affidavit enlisting steps it has taken so far for rehabilitation of children who were orphaned after their parents died in the collapse of a suspension bridge in Morbi town in October last year.
During hearing on a suo motu (on its own) PIL admitted last year following the tragedy, Advocate General Kamal Trivedi informed a division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice AP Mayee that the state government has paid Rs 50 lakh each to the kin of the seven children who lost both their parents in the bridge crash.
He also said the final report of the ongoing probe into the collapse by a special team will be out in three weeks.
About rehabilitation measures for orphaned children, Trivedi told the bench, “We (state government) are taking care of their schooling, food. We have covered them under different government schemes.”
Citing a Supreme Court directive, the bench then asked the Advocate General to file an affidavit about the steps taken so far by the state government for rehabilitation of children who were rendered orphan due to the death of their father as well as mother in the tragedy.
The British-era suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Morbi town of Gujarat collapsed on October 30 last year, killing 135 persons, including women and children, and injuring 56 others.
In November last year, the Supreme Court had asked the Gujarat HC to periodically monitor the probe and other aspects of the tragedy, including rehabilitation and award of compensation to the victims or their families.
Notably, the state government had appointed a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the crash and it submitted an interim report in December last year.
Trivedi on Thursday informed the court that the SIT’s final report will be available in three weeks and subsequently it will be submitted before the bench. Following the state government’s submission, the bench fixed September 25 for next hearing.
On the aspect of compensation, Trivedi said the kin of each deceased had been given Rs 20 lakh — Rs 10 lakh from the government and an equal sum from the Oreva Group — which was responsible for operation and maintenance of the more than 100 years old suspension bridge.
Notably, the SIT, in its interim report, had found several lapses in repairs, maintenance and operation of the structure by the Oreva Group (Ajanta Manufacturing Ltd), whose Managing Director Jaysukh Patel is the main accused in the case and is currently in jail.
Ten people have been named as accused in the case.
Advocate KR Koshti, appearing on behalf of victims, urged the court to provide him a copy of the SIT interim report, submitted by the government in a sealed cover, and also pressed for an “independent inquiry” from subject experts into the tragedy.
Koshti argued that no concrete action was taken by the government in the past when similar incidents took place. The bench, however, refused to entertain his demand for an independent inquiry at this stage and asked him to wait till the final report is submitted.
Apart from Oreva Group MD Patel, two managers of his firm and two sub-contractors who had repaired the bridge are still in jail, while three security guards and two ticket booking clerks, also arrested in the case, were recently granted bail by the High Court.
All the 10 accused, including Patel, have been charged under Indian Penal Code sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 336 (act which endangers human life), 337 (causing hurt to any person by doing any rash or negligent act) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by doing rash or negligent act).
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