 "Gujarat bridge collapse: SC agrees to hear PIL seeking judicial probe")
On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to list for hearing a PIL seeking constitution of a judicial commission to probe the collapse of more than a century-old Morbi bridge in Gujarat which claimed over 130 lives.
A bench comprising of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala noted the submission of lawyer Vishal Tiwari, who filed the PIL, that the matter needed an urgent hearing. The bench asked, “I got the papers late. We will list it. What is the urgency?”
The advocate, insisted, “There is urgency in this matter as there are so many old structures in the country.” It will be listed, the bench responded.
Several news reports suggest the death toll in the collapse of the British-era bridge on the Machchhu river in Morbi in Gujarat has gone up to 134 people.
Tiwari, in the plea, said the accident reflected the negligence and utter failure of government authorities. The PIL stated that in the past decade, several incidents have taken place in our country where due to the mismanagement, lapse in duty, and negligent maintenance activities, there have been cases of huge public casualties which could have been avoided.
The British-era bridge which is located around 300 km from state capital, Gandhinagar, had reopened five days before the tragedy struck after extensive repair and renovation. The bridge was crammed with people when it collapsed at around 6.30 pm on 30th October.
In his plea, Tiwari sought constitution of a judicial commission under the chairmanship of a retired judge of the top court to probe the incident; along with directions to states to form a committee to survey and conduct risk assessment of old monuments and bridges to ensure environmental viability and safety.
The PIL further seeks directions to states to constitute a construction incident investigation department for prompt investigation whenever such incidents occur.
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