As the tragic accident at Morbi where the suspension bridge on October 30 got crashed into Macchu river leading to 34 deaths, several theories have been floated to find the reason behind it. ?

While the municipality commissioner lost no time to put the blame on the private trust that took up the renovation works and allegedly reopened the bridge without seeking the proper fitness certificate from the government, there are notions that point the finger to the administrative failure. ?

Any accident needs some accountability. And when an unfortunate fatal incident like this happens, it becomes a public demand. It is not only about placing the gun on others’ shoulder, rather it is more about the sense of empathy and collective responsibility that such deaths call for. ?

Here are a few possible reasons that we can examine to understand what went wrong. ?

Responsibility of the private trust Oreva ?

The watchmaker Oreva signed a 15 years’ contract with Morbi civil body for the renovation and maintenance of the suspension bridge. ?

However, as per the primary reports, there have been several lapses on their part. ?

Firstly, it has been alleged that Oreva had subcontracted the “technical aspect of the bridge renovation” to an unknown company namely Devprakash Solutions.?

Secondly, the contract between the municipality and Oreva had been signed in March and the company was supposed to not open the bridge for eight to twelve months. However, they opened in on October 26 after the completion of seven months of renovation works. As per the police FIR, it has been a “seriously irresponsible and careless gesture.” The FIR also said that that the people responsible for maintenance and repair didn’t work properly leading to such tragic incident. ?

Thirdly, as per the municipality commissioner, Oreva must have sought the fitness certificate from the Government. However, it didn’t bother to wait for that and opened the bridge. ?

Overcrowding leading to the Bridge collapse? ?

Another major reason that has been cited frequently is the overcrowding factor. Can the overcrowding on a suspension bridge actually lead to its collapse? Professor Sewa Ram, School of Planning and Architecture whom the India Today spoke to said apparently ‘yes’. ?

As per Prof. Ram, due to overcrowding on the bridge, the snap couldn’t take the pressure and the suspension cable gave away. Though he also pointed out that the age of the metal wires could also be responsible, the overcrowding was a concern of Oreva as well. ?

While opening the bridge, Managing Director Jaysukhbhai Patel told the reporters, “We also don't want to overwhelm the sturdiness of the bridge, so to limit the amount of entry and the crowd, we will charge for an entry.” To control the overcrowding, they started selling tickets at Rs. 12 and Rs. 17. ?

However, the bridge on the fatal day had at least 500 people on board. It is not clear how the ticket counters could sell so many tickets knowing it fully well that assemblage of more than 150 people were not permitted. Or were they actually ever informed of that? Only further investigations will clear the picture. ?

Shaking and jumping on the bridge resulting in collapse? ?

Several eye witnesses have alleged that the people standing on the bridge were shaking and jumping on the bridge just before the fatal accident. ?

Though from the primary investigation it is not clear whether jumping on it can lead to the collapse of the suspension cable, Prof. Ram said that people should avoid jumping on the snap. ?

He is also of the opinion that at the entry, the municipality should have put the Dos and Don’ts. Whatever the matter may be, as per the reports of the PTI there were some youths who shook the bridge earlier to frighten the visitors early in the day. Such activities on a bridge is not only an anathema, should be a prohibition. ?

Can the Police be held responsible? ?

While the security guards of the bridge have been arrested along with the ticket seller and the managers of Oreva, one poses the question- was it not the responsibility of the state police to take care of the bridge on the occasion like Chhatt? ?

It was not a common day and the people assembled here only to perform some rituals, so it should have been the responsibility of the police to take special care of the bridge that is old. ?

While the Prime Minister himself was in Gujarat, it is evident that majority of the security will be channelled to him, but still, can the understaffed police force avoid the responsibility??

The fixing of responsibility and avoidance of the repeat act can only save us from future tragedies. It may be ‘Act of God’ or something else- but undoubtedly there were human faces behind the tragedy. ?