The suspension bridge on river Machchhu in Morbi city collapsed in 2022, killing 135 folks
Morbi:
Industrialist Jaysukh Patel, the principle accused within the 2022 Gujarat suspension bridge collapse that claimed 135 lives, acquired criticism after he was felicitated at an occasion organised by the Patidar group in Morbi district.
Whereas the victims’ family members expressed anguish over the occasion, the organisers stated that Patel, presently out on bail, was honoured in his capability because the son of late OR Patel, a philanthropist who based the Ajanta Group.
Patel was weighed in “modak” (candy dumpling) on a scale on the operate organised by Kadva Patidar Kanya Kelavani Mandal on the outskirts of Morbi city on Friday to mark the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of the Uma Sanskardham temple.
The modak will likely be packed in 60,000 bins and distributed amongst Patidar households, the organisers stated.
“It’s a matter of unhappiness for us to see the principle accused within the Morbi suspension bridge collapse being honoured like that,” stated Narendra Parmar, a member of the affiliation representing victims and their households.
A court docket just lately relaxed Patel’s bail situation barring him from getting into the Morbi district, making it doable for him to attend the occasion.
His agency Oreva Group was liable for the operation and upkeep of a British-era suspension bridge on river Machchhu in Morbi city that collapsed on October 30, 2022, killing 135 folks, together with girls and youngsters, and injuring 56 others.
“I learnt about Patel’s felicitation by way of a information report and felt unhappy. He was barred from getting into Morbi however secured the court docket’s permission for the occasion. The incident and dropping a toddler will not be one thing one forgets in his lifetime,” stated Parmar, whose 10-year-old daughter was killed within the tragedy.
AK Patel, a member of the organisation that held the programme, stated they honoured Jaysukh Patel to pay respects to his late father OR Patel, who based the Ajanta Group, describing him as “the daddy of wall clocks”.
“We determined to felicitate Jaysukh Patel and his brothers on the occasion as a tribute to their father OR Patel’s service to society,” he stated.
Former Congress MLA Lalit Kagathara stated there was nothing unsuitable with Patel being honoured by his group, stressing that the industrialist’s household has made important contributions to society by way of philanthropy.
“I’ve been saying that Jaysukh Patel is harmless. Morbi’s then collector and civic officers are liable for the tragedy. Why was an FIR not registered towards them? OR Patel was the ‘Bhishma Pitamah’ of the Patridar group and a philanthropist. There’s nothing unsuitable together with his son being honoured by the group,” he stated.
A complete of ten individuals, together with Patel, two managers of his agency, two sub-contractors who had repaired the bridge, three safety guards and two ticket reserving clerks, have been arrested on fees of culpable murder not amounting to homicide and for endangering human life after the accident.
The Supreme Court docket on March 22, 2024, ordered Patel’s launch and directed the trial court docket to border his bail situations. Among the many bail situations, Patel was barred from getting into Morbi until the pendency of the trial.
Patel had moved Supreme Court docket after the Gujarat Excessive Court docket in December final yr rejected his common bail plea
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)