Morbi:

Industrialist Jaysukh Patel, the main accused in the 2022 Gujarat suspension bridge collapse that claimed 135 lives, received criticism after he was felicitated at an event organised by the Patidar community in Morbi district.

While the victims’ relatives expressed anguish over the event, the organisers said that Patel, currently out on bail, was honoured in his capacity as the son of late OR Patel, a philanthropist who founded the Ajanta Group.

Patel was weighed in “modak” (sweet dumpling) on a scale at the function organised by Kadva Patidar Kanya Kelavani Mandal on the outskirts of Morbi town on Friday to mark the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of the Uma Sanskardham temple.

The modak will be packed in 60,000 boxes and distributed among Patidar families, the organisers said.

“It is a matter of sadness for us to see the main accused in the Morbi suspension bridge collapse being honoured like that,” said Narendra Parmar, a member of the association representing victims and their families.

A court recently relaxed Patel’s bail condition barring him from entering the Morbi district, making it possible for him to attend the event.

His firm Oreva Group was responsible for the operation and maintenance of a British-era suspension bridge on river Machchhu in Morbi town that collapsed on October 30, 2022, killing 135 people, including women and children, and injuring 56 others.

“I learnt about Patel’s felicitation through a news report and felt sad. He was barred from entering Morbi but secured the court’s permission for the event. The incident and losing a child is not something one forgets in his lifetime,” said Parmar, whose 10-year-old daughter was killed in the tragedy.

AK Patel, a member of the organisation that held the programme, said they honoured Jaysukh Patel to pay respects to his late father OR Patel, who founded the Ajanta Group, describing him as “the father of wall clocks”.

“We decided to felicitate Jaysukh Patel and his brothers at the event as a tribute to their father OR Patel’s service to society,” he said.

Former Congress MLA Lalit Kagathara said there was nothing wrong with Patel being honoured by his community, stressing that the industrialist’s family has made significant contributions to society through philanthropy.

“I have been saying that Jaysukh Patel is innocent. Morbi’s then collector and civic officials are responsible for the tragedy. Why was an FIR not registered against them? OR Patel was the ‘Bhishma Pitamah’ of the Patridar community and a philanthropist. There is nothing wrong with his son being honoured by the community,” he said.

A total of ten persons, including Patel, two managers of his firm, two sub-contractors who had repaired the bridge, three security guards and two ticket booking clerks, were arrested on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and for endangering human life after the accident.

The Supreme Court on March 22, 2024, ordered Patel’s release and directed the trial court to frame his bail conditions. Among the bail conditions, Patel was barred from entering Morbi till the pendency of the trial.

Patel had moved Supreme Court after the Gujarat High Court in December last year rejected his regular bail plea

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Ahmedabad:

The Gujarat High Court on Friday asked Oreva Group, the company responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Morbi bridge that collapsed on October 30, 2022, killing 135 persons, to provide jobs or monthly remuneration to families who lost their earning member.

The division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha Mayee was hearing a suo motu PIL on the incident.

It also asked the company to provide a two-bedroom house in “Parel or Lower Parel area” of Mumbai as compensation to a 23-year-old woman who was injured in the bridge collapse and currently works in a firm in Bandra Kurla Complex in the metropolis.

During Friday’s hearing, the bench asked the government and the company to expedite the process of creating a trust to look after the compensation and rehabilitation of victims.

About the rehabilitation of those who are now suffering from partial or full disability, the court said, “These people must be permanently adopted. They have to be taken care of throughout their lives. This is their (Oreva’s) creation. A man-made creation,” the chief justice said.

Advocate General Kamal Trivedi informed the bench that four of the 10 women who were widowed had accepted Oreva’s job offer.

The bench was also apprised about two families who have lost their earning member in the tragedy and have six daughters (three in each family), including five minors.

The court asked the company to provide additional financial support to these children for their studies and for meeting other expenses on basic amenities.

The bench also asked the company to check how widows can be accommodated in jobs or if they can be given a monthly remuneration in case they can’t work due to some reasons.

“Provide a job to everyone who lost their earning member. Also work on rehabilitation of injured victims so that they can live independently. If not a job, provide monthly remuneration,” said Chief Justice Agarwal.

While going through the government’s affidavit, the chief justice inquired about a 23-year-old woman who suffered a humerus fracture in the bridge collapse.

Mr Trivedi told the court the woman is currently working with a multinational financial firm in BKC in Mumbai.

Chief Justice Agarwal, in her order, directed the Oreva Group to buy her a two-bedroom house in any “good area near her office” such as Parel or Lower Parel as compensation to her.

“Purchase a two-BHK house in any good area. That will be her compensation. Since she works in BKC, Lower Parel is good. We are not joking. She has to be on her own. This will be written in our order,” the chief justice said.

Meanwhile, Mr Trivedi informed the bench that Oreva Group CMD Jaysukh Patel was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Friday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)