AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday ordered the Oreva group, which maintained the British-era suspension bridge in Morbi that collapsed killing 135 people in October last year, to pay Rs 10 lakh each as “interim compensation” to the family of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh each to those who have been injured within four weeks.
The amount is in addition to Rs 10 lakh already paid by the state government and the Centre.
While directing the company to pay compensation, Chief Justice Sonia Gokani and Justice Sandeep Bhatt noted that the victims’ lives are completely disrupted. “Nobody can compensate them, this is just an attempt,” the judges said.
The bench rejected the company’s offer to pay Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of those who lost their lives and Rs 1 lakh to those injured, terming it “not enough”. The bench also made it clear that Oreva’s offer of compensation won’t absolve it of its liability.
While fixing the compensation amount, the court cited the Supreme Court’s observation that the private party must pay 55 per cent with the remaining coming from state funds. On the evening of October 30 last year, 135 visitors, including 35 children, were killed when the suspension bridge over the Machchu river collapsed.
The repair and maintenance contract of the bridge was awarded to clock-manufacturing firm Oreva, which re-opened the bridge for visitors without getting a fitness certificate or prior approval from the Morbi municipality.