'Doing temporary repairs’: What Oreva said to Morbi collector in Jan 2020 letter

A letter sent by the Oreva Group, which has come under the scanner for its repair work and maintenance of the Morbi suspension bridge, informed the District Collector in January 2020 that they are opening the bridge by only doing temporary repairs. Five days after the Morbi bridge reopened for the public, it snapped, leading to the death of 141 people. 

"We are reopening the suspension bridge by only doing temporary repairs,” the company had mentioned. 

The company had signed a 15-year contract with the Morbi municipal corporation in March 2022, which is valid till March 2037.

The contents of the letter, as seen by India Today, show that Oreva wanted a permanent contract for the maintenance of the bridge. It said that until the time they are given a permanent contract, they would just do temporary repair work on the bridge. 

Oreva had said in the letter that they would reopen the bridge after they completed the temporary repairs. It had said that it will not order materials to repair the bridge, and will complete its work only after the demands are met. It had asked the administration to ‘rectify’ the matter. 

Meanwhile, Municipal Chief Officer Sandeep Singh had told the news site that the company violated the agreement terms and opened the bridge in just five months, without informing the vivid body. When asked if the renovation was completed, he said that he didn’t give it a certificate and then it was Diwali holidays, following which the bridge was reopened all of a sudden. 

Also read: 'Extensive inquiry needed': PM Modi on suspension bridge collapse in Gujarat's Morbi