History of the bridge
The historic 230-metre-long Morbi Suspension Bridge was first inaugurated on 20 February 1879 by the then Governor of Bombay, Richard Temple.
The bridge is believed to have been built on the lines of the Ram and Lakshman Jhulas on the Ganga in Uttarakhand by Morbi’s former ruler Sir Waghji Thakor. Inspired by the British, Sir Waghji, who ruled Morbi until 1922, built the bridge to reflect the “progressive and scientific nature of the Morbi rulers”, according to the district collector’s website.
It uses the latest technology available in Europe at the time. The material to build the bridge came from England and cost Rs 3.5 million at the time.
The bridge connected the Darbargadh Palace with the Nazarbag Palace, the residences of the then royal families. The bridge is 1.25 m wide and spans 233 m on the Machchhu River. In 2001, the bridge was severely damaged in an earthquake.
Renovation
Earlier this year, Morbi Municipality signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with private company Oreva Group to operate and maintain the bridge for 15 years. In March, the bridge was closed for renovation. Although the bridge was opened after the completion of reconstruction work on October 26, the local municipality has not issued any fitness certificate to it, Morbi municipal office manager Sandeepsinh Zala was quoted as saying.
A century-old suspension bridge over the Machchha river in Gujarat’s Morbi town collapsed around 6.30 pm on Sunday. The bridge, which lies at a distance of 230 m from Gandhinagar, was reopened on October 26 after being closed for about seven months for extensive repairs and renovation.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the site of the tragic incident on Sunday evening and reviewed the rescue operation. More than 400 people were reportedly on and around the footbridge when it collapsed. The death toll in Gujarat’s Morbi suspension bridge collapse rose to over 140 on Monday, even as one Air Force team, two Army columns, two Indian Navy teams, five NDRF teams, six SDRF platoons and local people. rescue operations continued through the night.
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