Morbi: In the wake of the Morbi bridge collapse that left 141 persons, including 51 children, dead, the Gujarat Urban Development Department has suspended the Morbi Municipality Chief Executive Officer Sandipsinh Zala.
As per agency reports, Zala had been posted at the Regional Municipal Commissioner’s office in Rajkot with an instruction to not to leave the station without the permission of his superior officers or the government.
The British-era suspension bridge, built on the River Machchhu in Morbi town, had collapsed on Sunday evening only a few days after it was reopened after having supposedly been refurbished.
“The state Urban Development Department has suspended Chief Officer of Morbi Municipality Sandipsinh Zala,” Morbi District Collector GT Pandya said.
The Resident Additional Collector of Morbi has been given additional charge of the CEO’s position until further orders, Pandya said. Morbi Municipality had given the contract of the bridge repair and maintenance to Oreva Group for 15 years, officials said.
Police have so far arrested nine persons in connection with the bridge collapse. On Thursday evening, Deputy Superintendent of Police SA Zala, who is investigating the collapse, had questioned Zala for almost two hour.
