RAJKOT: The sessions court in Morbi on Wednesday refused bail to eight of the nine accused in the October 30 suspension bridge collapse which had left 135 people dead. The order on the bail plea of the ninth accused, Devang Parmar of DevPrakash Solutions, which had got the subcontract of bridge repairs, is expected today. District government pleader Vijay Jani said, "Principal district and sessions judge PC Joshi rejected the bail application of eight accused. The detailed order is awaited." Morbi bridge collapse: A visual report to explain what might have gone wrongThose who had filed bail pleas were two managers of Oreva Group, Dinesh Dave and Dipak Parekh, subcontractor Prakash Parmar, ticket booking clerks and security guards, Mansukh Topiya, Mahadev Solanki, Alpesh Gohil, Dilip Gohil and Mansukh Chauhan. While opposing their bail plea on Monday, the prosecution had submitted a forensic report which confirmed that the cables of the bridge were rusted, anchors broken and the bolts that connect the cable with anchors were loose. Despite knowing the rickety condition of the bridge, a total of 3,165 were issued on October 30. The prosecution also argued that the security guards were actually labour contractors who had no expertise in crowd management. Also, there was no coordination between the two booking clerks who were issuing tickets at each corner of the bridge.
The British-era suspension bridge collapsed on October 30, claiming 135 lives.Morbi: A court in Gujarat's Mordi on Wednesday rejected bail applications of eight out of nine persons arrested in connection with the suspension bridge collapse tragedy.Principal district and sessions judge P C Joshi said he will pass an order on the bail plea of the ninth accused, Devang Parmar, on Thursday.The British-era suspension bridge collapsed on October 30, claiming 135 lives.The bail applications of Deepak Parekh, Dinesh Dave, Prakash Parmar, Mansukhbhai Topia, Madevbhai Solanki, Alpeshbhai Gohil, Dilipbhai Gohil, and Mukeshbhai Chauhan were rejected, said public prosecutor Vijay Jani.Devang Parmar is a co-proprietor of Dev Prakash Fabrication.Those arrested include Deepak Parekh and three others from the Oreva Group that was managing the suspension bridge.Arguing against their bail pleas, the prosecution had submitted a forensic lab report which noted that the bridge had rusty cables, broken anchor pins, and loose bolts, and these and other issues were not dealt with while renovating it.The FSL report also pointed out that the metal flooring laid during the renovation increased its weight.According to the prosecution, both the repairing contractors engaged by the group, which is mainly in clock manufacturing, were not qualified to carry out such work.Orvea Group had hired Dhrangadhra-based Dev Prakash Solution to renovate the bridge. It collapsed four days after it was thrown open to the public post-renovation.During the hearing, Deepak Parekh's lawyer produced a purchase order issued to Dev Prakash Solution by Oreva Group which said "renovation will be (done) after dismantling the bridge".As per the First Information Report, at least 250 to 300 people were present on the bridge when it collapsed after one of the cables snapped.The Oreva Group allegedly did not hire any expert agency to assess the load-bearing capacity of the bridge.The group had sold 3,165 tickets on October 30 alone and there was no coordination between ticket booking offices on the two sides of the bridge, the prosecution told the court.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comThe booking clerks, who have been arrested, should have stopped the sale of tickets, it claimed.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)Featured Video Of The DayIn Letter To Police, Did Shraddha Walkar Predict Her Own Death?
RAJKOT/ SURENDRANAGAR/SURAT: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday accused Congress of “continuously insulting” B R Ambedkar and working against the development of backward communities while also pointing to anti-Narmada Dam activist Medha Patkar joining Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ as the “biggest insult” meted out to the state by the opposition party. Addressing a string of rallies at Jasdan (Rajkot), Dasada (Surendranagar) and Bardoli (Surat) in Gujarat, Shah said Congress did continuous injustice to Gujarat and never tried to find a solution to its water problem since independence. He credited the BJP government for ending water scarcity in the Rajkot region of Gujarat and accused Congress of delaying the Sardar Sarovar Dam project. “The foundation stone of Sardar Sarovar Dam was laid by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1963, one year before my birth. The water finally reached here when I turned 58. So who stalled the Narmada project? Congress party had stalled this project from 1963 till 2002,” he alleged. “Rahul chose to take along a person who had deprived Gujarat of getting the Narmada water for 20 years. This is the biggest insult meted out to Gujarat by the opposition party,” said Shah Shah said PM Modi had sat on an indefinite hunger strike when he was chief minister of Gujarat against the Congress-led UPA government’s decision to not hike the height of the dam. “Congress insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar. They did not even give Bharat Ratna to Babasaheb.” he said.
Amit Shah said that no Congress leader dares to visit the Statue of Unity.Kambhat, Gujarat: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday alleged that the Congress did everything possible to "insult" Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and it has started praising him only now in view of the Gujarat Assembly elections.Even the last rites of the country's first deputy prime minister were performed in "unceremonious" way, the BJP leader said at an election rally at Khambhat in Gujarat's Anand district."I am surprised that the Congress now praises Sardar Patel. Since my childhood, I have never heard any Congress leader talking about Patel. Instead, they left no stone unturned to insult Patel, right from performing his last rites in an unceremonious manner to ensuring that no monument was built in his memory," Mr Shah said.Voting for Khambhat and 92 other seats will take place on December 5, in the second phase of the Assembly elections.Mr Shah further said that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who paid a real tribute to Patel by constructing the Statue of Unity, Patel's statue which is the world's tallest monument.He also dared Congress candidate from Khambhat, Chirag Patel to produce any photograph where he is seen paying tributes to Sardar Patel at the Statue of Unity.No Congress leader dares to visit the Statue of Unity at Kevadia for fear of losing ticket, he claimed.He also accused the Congress of opposing the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya and the Triple Talaq prohibition law for its votebank politics.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com"If they support such causes, they fear they will lose those votes. I hope you understand which votes I am talking about. But their time is now over and PM Modi's time has started. Rahul Baba (Gandhi), book a ticket to Ayodhya because a grand temple is going to be inaugurated on January 1, 2024," said Mr Shah.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)Featured Video Of The DayWhen Ajay Devgn Met Little Singham
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said no action has been taken against the “real culprits” behind the last month’s collapse of a suspension bridge in Gujarat’s Morbi town, where 135 people were killed, because they share a “good relationship” with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).Addressing an election rally in Rajkot, his second in the day, he said while watchmen (posted at the accident site) were arrested and jailed, no action was taken against the real culprits.“When journalists asked me what I think about the Morbi tragedy… I said around 150 people died and this is not a political issue and so I would say nothing on this. But the question arises today as to why no action was taken against those who were behind this (tragedy), why no FIR (has been filed against them)?” he asked.“Will nothing happen to them because they share a good relationship with the BJP? They arrested chowkidars (watchmen) and put them behind bars, but no action has been taken against the real culprits,” the Congress MP alleged.Gandhi said he is feeling sad the Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress is not passing through Gujarat, where Assembly polls will be held on December 1 and 5.The Congress MP took a break from the 3,570km cross-country foot-march, which started from Tamil Nadu on September 7 and is currently passing through adjoining Maharashtra, and addressed two election rallies in support of his party candidates in Gujarat.
Rahul Gandhi was addressing an election rally in Rajkot.Rajkot, Gujarat: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said no action has been taken against the "real culprits" behind the last month's collapse of a suspension bridge in Gujarat's Morbi town, where 135 people were killed, because they share a "good relationship" with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).Addressing an election rally in Rajkot, his second in the day, he said while watchmen (posted at the accident site) were arrested and jailed, no action was taken against the real culprits."When journalists asked me what I think about the Morbi tragedy... I said around 150 people died and this is not a political issue and so I would say nothing on this. But the question arises today as to why no action was taken against those who were behind this (tragedy), why no FIR (has been filed against them)?" he asked."Will nothing happen to them because they share a good relationship with the BJP? They arrested chowkidars (watchmen) and put them behind bars, but no action has been taken against the real culprits," the Congress MP alleged.Mr Gandhi said he is feeling sad the Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress is not passing through Gujarat, where Assembly polls will be held on December 1 and 5.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comThe Congress MP took a break from the 3,570km cross-country foot-march, which started from Tamil Nadu on September 7 and is currently passing through adjoining Maharashtra, and addressed two election rallies in support of his party candidates in Gujarat.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)Featured Video Of The DayKarnataka MLA Allegedly Attacked By Locals After Elephant Kills Woman
LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will step in the poll cauldron of Gujarat assembly elections by addressing three back-to-back rallies in Morbi, Bharuch and Surat on Friday. One of the key star campaigners of the BJP, Yogi is expected to address nearly 18 rallies, spread over a schedule of six days, said BJP sources. Polling in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 1 and December 5. During the same period, Yogi is scheduled to campaign in UP also, where by-polls in Mainpuri, Rampur and Khatauli will be held on December 5. Yogi had earlier launched a hectic campaign in Himachal where he addressed around 16 rallies over a period of five days. Gujarat has a sizable population of migrant workers from UP, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. According to an estimate, around 32% of Surat’s population and 12% of Ahmedabad comprise people who are migrants. Likewise, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Vadodhara have a significant population of people from other states including UP. Yogi was a hit in the previous assembly elections in Gujarat, with the BJP winning 20 of the 35 seats spread over 29 districts where he campaigned. In the 182-seat Gujarat assembly, the BJP had 99, while the Congress won 77 seats.
LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath will step in the poll cauldron of Gujarat assembly elections by addressing three back to back rallies in Morbi, Bharuch and Surat on Friday. One of the key star campaigners of the BJP, Yogi is expected to address nearly 18 rallies, spread over a schedule of six days, according to the sources in the BJP. Polling in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 1 and December 5. Yogi will, at the same time, is scheduled to campaign in UP where by polls in Mainpuri, Rampur and Khatauli are scheduled on December 5. Adityanath had earlier launched into hectic campaigning mode in Himachal where he addressed around 16 rallies over a period of five days. Gujarat has a sizable population of migrant workers from UP, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. According to an estimate around 32% of Surat's population and 12% of Ahmedabad comprise people who are migrant. Likewise, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Vadodhara have a significant population of people from other states including UP. Yogi was a hit in the previous assembly elections in Gujarat, with the BJP winning 20 of the 35 seats -- spread over 29 districts -- where he campaigned. In the 182-seat Gujarat assembly, the BJP had 99 and while the Congress won 77 seats.
Ahmedabad: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be campaigning in Gujarat on November 22. He will visit Gujarat during a break from Congress party's ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra.Elections are scheduled to be held in Gujarat in two phases, on December 1 and 5. Votes will be counted on December 8.The former Congress president has been facing criticism from BJP for not having campaigned in Himachal Pradesh, where Assembly elections were held yesterday.With elections in Himachal now over, Congress is focusing on Gujarat. Over the next few weeks, several campaign rallies by prominent party leaders are scheduled in the poll-bound state.Meanwhile, Congress has released its sixth list of candidates for Gujarat polls. With the release of this latest list, the party has now declared candidates for 142 seats in the state.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comCongress had announced its first list on November 4, in which 43 candidates were named. The second list consisting of 46 candidates was announced on November 10. A list of seven candidates was released on Friday. However, one was a replacement for a candidate named earlier.Opposition Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are looking to end the BJP's 27-year rule in Gujarat.
AHMEDABAD: Short campaign videos in India that seem like a modern electioneering aid might trace their lineage to the canvassing arsenal of Baroda royals. Over five decades ago, a Gujarati was, by all accounts, the first in the country to make a poll-pitch film for a candidate. That candidate, Maharaja Fatehsinghrao Gaekwad, won the Lok Sabha election hands down from the Vadodara seat. “The idea to make a short film for the Congress (O) struck me when I was travelling in a train to Jambusar in 1971,” Dhiru Mistry, 83, told TOI. “I got down at the Vadodara railway station and approached Congress (O) leaders, offering to make a film on their party. They liked the idea but suggested that I make a film on Maharaja Fatehsinghrao Gaekwad who was contesting on the Congress (O) ticket for Vadodara. ” Mistry met Gaekwad and asked him about the number of outreach meetings he held in a day. “He said he held three to four meetings daily. I pointed out that by organizing such meetings he can reach out to merely about 2,000 people,” Mistry said. “I proposed the idea of making a short film and told him that he can connect with at least 50,000 people in one go. ” Gaekwad liked the idea and asked Mistry to meet him at Nivruti Bhavan in the presence of other Congress (O) leaders. “He asked me for the cost and I quoted Rs 5,000. The maharaja said that I would be given Rs 2,500 in advance,” Mistry said. “If he liked the film, I would be paid the dues and if he didn’t, the film would be shelved and I wouldn’t be paid the remainder. ” Mistry agreed to the terms. Mistry shot a twominute film at Sardar Bhavan featuring Gaekwad and it contained the shots of all the infrastructure and development works commissioned by the royal Gaekwads in the city. “The film was screened at 12 theatres for 10 days in the city and it resonated with the citizens. We also evoked the legacy of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III,” Mistry said. “Maharaja Fatehsinghrao appreciated the film because it projected precisely the message he wanted to convey to the voters. ” Scores of candidates approached Mistry to have a similar campaign boost as the film began gathering accolades. He has won other honours too — for instance, the national award for a film on eye donation in 1973. “As for the Gaekwad film, when I took it to the censor board for certification, the members said that they hadn’t come across such short films for political campaigns,” Mistry said. “That’s when I realized that ours was the first ever short film made for political campaigning in the country. In the later years, I made short political films for the Congress (O) and the Congress (I). ”
The BJP is banking on its usual narrative of welfare politics and corruption allegations against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to win the coming Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls. It is also hoping that its efforts to retain control of the civic body in the national capital will be aided by the overlapping schedules of the MCD polls and the Gujarat elections.The MCD elections will be held on December 4 and votes will be counted on December 7. The Gujarat Assembly elections will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5. The results will be declared on December 8.The BJP, a three-time consecutive winner of the MCD elections, feels the schedule “will give it an edge” over the AAP, a smaller party that will have to divide its attention between Delhi and Gujarat, where it is pulling out all the stops to make a mark. The AAP has denied it will be affected by the poll schedule and claimed that the MCD polls were scheduled before the counting in Gujarat as a “loss” for the BJP in the western state would have a knock-on effect in Delhi.A BJP spokesperson said, “The AAP will only manage to divide the Opposition vote between the Congress and itself. We are going to register the biggest victory in the history of Gujarat, thanks to the AAP. We already have a core vote base of 35 per cent. The remaining will be ensured with the distribution of tickets, which we are doing on the basis of winnability.”A party insider said that while they do not know if “the schedule was deliberate”, they feel that “the schedule will keep Kejriwal busy in Gujarat”.“With so many corruption allegations, (AAP leader) Satyendra Jain in jail, and poll dates coinciding, the situation is a lot more conducive than in April when the (MCD) polls were originally scheduled,” said another BJP leader.Following the announcement of the Gujarat poll schedule on November 3, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj tweeted that the BJP was in “danger” in the poll-bound state. “The BJP’s poor results in Gujarat could have had a bad impact on the MCD elections,” he added.The party’s MCD poll in-charge Durgesh Pathak said the schedule would not affect the party. “The people of Gujarat will throw the BJP out of the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha. So will the people of Delhi,” he said.However, party leaders on the ground expressed concerns about the paucity of resources for campaigning. An AAP councillor, who wished to stay anonymous, said, “Our MCD campaign is centred around Chief Minister Kejriwal’s image. All 250 candidates would want his road show or meetings. In Gujarat, too, he attracts crowds and votes.”The councillor added, “Our resources are limited. We are a smaller party in comparison to the BJP. A simultaneous election will lead to a diversion of resources and even the time of senior leaders like Kejriwalji and (Delhi Deputy CM) Manish Sisodia ji.”Another councillor spoke of not being able to concentrate fully on either poll. “If there was no MCD poll, I would have been in Gujarat. Many of our MLAs would be as well. But now all MLAs want to be in Delhi to secure tickets for their supporters.”The BJP has also had to divert its resources due to the MCD polls. A delegation of 23 Delhi BJP leaders — including former Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta, former mayor Jai Prakash, MLAs Abhay Verma and Ajay Mahawar, and party leaders Manoj Kumar and Jitender Garg — deployed to oversee the Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls was called back to the capital to prepare for the civic elections.The MCD polls were originally slated for April but were deferred hours before the schedule was announced as the Centre wanted to unify the three municipal bodies in the national capital — North. East, and South Delhi — under a larger MCD body. It also wanted to conduct a delimitation exercise to decrease the number of wards in the city. The exercise finished on November 4, when the state Election Commission announced the dates.
AHMEDABAD: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is aggressively trying to position itself as the ruling BJP's main contender in the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections, notwithstanding its poor show in the 2017 state polls when all its 29 candidates lost their deposits. The AAP claims it has now been successful in reaching out to the people of Gujarat with its national convener Arvind Kejriwal having visited the state multiple times in the recent past, offering a slew of 'guarantees' if the party is voted to power. The party has also named Isudan Gadhvi, a former TV anchor and journalist, as its chief ministerial candidate for next month's Gujarat Assembly elections. A candidate loses deposit in an election when he/she fails to secure one-sixth (16.7 per cent) of the total votes polled in the constituency. Before the 2017 Gujarat Assembly polls, the AAP had fielded candidates on 24 out of the 26 Lok Sabha seats from Gujarat in the 2014 general elections and its nominees fared badly. The party stayed away from Gujarat during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In both the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the 2017 Gujarat Assembly elections, the AAP fared badly with majority of its candidates securing less number of votes compared to the None Of The Above (NOTA) option, as per statistics shared by the Election Commission. But, the party is now trying to project itself as the BJP's main challenger for polls to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly which will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5. AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal has expressed confidence that his party will emerge victorious in Gujarat, claimed that people of the state are fed up of the "27 years of the BJP's misgovernance." "We were pretty new in Gujarat in 2017 and were unable to convey our message to the people of the state effectively enough to persuade them to vote for us. Reaching out to the public is vital but the campaigning was not done properly," an AAP leader told PTI. "This time around, we have been successful in conveying our points to the public," he claimed. Out of 29 AAP candidates in the 2017 Assembly election, only Nagjibhai Ambaliya, who contested from Katargam seat in Surat district, had secured more votes than NOTA. He had polled 2.29 per cent of the votes compared to 0.94 per cent going in favour of the NOTA option, as per the EC data. Out of those 29 seats, the party has so far repeated only four candidates for the 2022 elections - Ramesh Nabhani (Palanpur), Nimishaben Khunt (Gondal), Ram Dhaduk (Kamrej) and Arjun Rathva (Chhota Udepur). Rathva, who polled 2.77 per cent votes in the 2017 Assembly polls, was also the party candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Chhota Udepur when he got 2.10 per cent of the votes, as per the EC data. Among other seats where the AAP had fielded its candidates in 2017 were Gandhidham, Unjha, Gandhinagar (North), Baunagar, Dasada, Dhrangadhra, Wankaner, Rajkot (East), Rajkot (South), Dhoraji, Jamnagar (Rural), Khambhaliya, Lathi, Botad, Vadodara (city), Manjalpur, Karjan, Ankleshwar, Olpad, Surat (East), Karanj, Limbayat, Katargam, Valsad, and Pardi. In 2014, the AAP had contested 24 out of the total 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat. Patan and Sabarkantha were the two seats where it had not fielded its candidates. For the upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls, the AAP has so far declared names of its candidates for 158 seats. "The AAP is not new to Gujarat. It has been existing in the state since 2014, when for the first time it contested the Lok Sabha elections," political commentator Nishant Varma told PTI. Since then, it has been contesting various elections, including the 2017 state Assembly polls and the 2021 local polls, he noted. Notably, the AAP had won 27 seats in the Surat Municipal Corporation last year. "Looking at the AAP's performance in the past, it was nowhere closer to even local parties propped up by former chief ministers Shankersinh Vaghela and Keshubhai Patel," Varma said. Unlike the past, Kejriwal is this time leading the party's election campaign by holding mega rallies and roadshows in different parts of Gujarat. Kejriwal has anchored his party's campaign around a slew of sops like 300 units of free electricity per month, free education in government schools, allowance for unemployed youth, Rs 1,000 allowance to women and a monthly stipend for new lawyers. Apart from Kejriwal, the other party leaders who have campaigned in Gujarat include Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha, who is the Gujarat elections co-incharge.
The Morbi municipality has submitted in an affidavit before the Gujarat High Court, implying that Ajanta Manufacturing Pvt Ltd of the Oreva Group had, in an attempt to put pressure on the civic body to renew its contract, sounded an alarm in December 2021 about the suspension bridge being in a “critical” condition. It requested the civic body to take a decision “at the earliest” for renewing the agreement in favour of the company.The municipality said this in an affidavit on Wednesday, a day after the High Court pulled up the state government inquiring if the “largesse was given to Ajanta without a tender”.The court sought an explanation on how the bridge was opened to public despite this warning from December 29, 2021 to March 7, 2022, when it was finally closed for repair.The municipality affidavit says, “…On 29-12-2021, the Company informed the Chief Officer of Nagar Palika, that the condition of the suspension bridge is critical and hence, request was made to take a decision at the earliest.”Morbi municipality, represented by senior advocate Devang Vyas, had earlier sought time till November 24 to file its response, but he submitted the affidavit after the Division Bench led by Chief Justice Aravind Kumar directed the municipality to file it or face risk of attracting a cost of Rs 1 lakh.The court observed that it was “intriguing to note that even after the communication dated 29/12/2021 was received by chief officer of Morbi municipality”, the bridge was allowed to be used till March 7 this year.“Hence the affidavit should disclose… how M/s Ajanta was permitted to use the bridge… Reasons for allowing Ajanta to use the bridge despite there being no approval for utilisation shall also be indicated in the said affidavit. We also direct the present incharge chief officer of Morbi Municipality to be present on the next date of hearing physically,” the court observed.The court is expected to hear the matter next on November 24.The bridge was officially closed from March 8 this year to October 25 for repair. Ajanta’s communication of December 29, 2021, came just a day after the Morbi municipality informed the company that the “issue relating to suspension bridge has been placed before the upcoming General Board meeting” and a “decision” on a formal agreement in favour of Ajanta continuing maintenance and management of the bridge “would be taken only thereafter”.According to the affidavit, on January 19 this year, the Morbi chief officer informed the company that the general body had rejected the company’s request to enhance bridge entry fee and that formalities of agreement would be undertaken only if the company was ready to continue with earlier rates. If not, the company was “requested to return possession” of the bridge to the municipality at the earliest.An agreement was ultimately executed on March 8, entrusting the company with the management and maintenance of the bridge, following approval by the general body. The agreement had nine conditions, including one that stipulated that the bridge should be open to the public only after appropriate renovation by Ajanta within 8-12 months from the date of agreement.The affidavit notes that a memorandum of understanding was signed between Rajkot collector and Ajanta in 2007 and an agreement was executed in 2008 for a period of nine years. Morbi, till it became a separate district in 2013, was a part of Rajkot district. On expiration of the agreement in 2017, the bridge continued to be maintained by the company in the absence of any new agreement.“The company sent a communication dated 9-1-2020 and intimated the authority that they would completely close down the suspension bridge from 26.01.2020 and thereafter, the company would not be responsible for any unfortunate accident… the company showed its readiness to manage the bridge in terms of the meeting convened between the officials of the Morbi collectorate, Morbi municipality with the officials of the company on 29-1-2020, and forwarded a draft copy of the agreement to be executed,” notes the affidavit filed by the Morbi municipality through its chief officer incharge Naran Muchhar.The affidavit noted that the company reopened the bridge on October 26, without any prior approval and “that too, without letting the municipality know about the kind of repair that was carried out”. It also stated that an independent third party’s certificate relating to material testing, fitness, holding capacity and structure stability of the suspension bridge was also not given.The HC division bench on Wednesday directed the Morbi municipality “to place on record the copy of the approval granted by the general board of the Morbi municipality, if any, approving the agreement dated 8/3/2022 and also to produce the communication dated 29/12/2021forwarded by Ajanta to the chief officer of Morbi municipality”._________________
AHMEDABAD: Upon failure to file its reply on the Morbi suspension bridge collapse, the Gujarat high court on Wednesday morning slammed the Morbi municipality for its casual approach in responding to the court notice, and ordered it to file its reply by 4.30 pm. Acting on a suo motu PIL, the bench of chief justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh Shastri had on November 7 issued notice to the municipality among other authorities. But the municipality did not receive the notice and was not even represented before the court either on Tuesday. This irked the bench, which remarked about the civic body, “They are acting smart.” The HC ordered a special arrangement to send notice to the municipality by Tuesday afternoon and sought its reply. Read AlsoMorbi tragedy: Gujarat HC says bridge contract riddled with lapses, asks why govt hasn’t superseded municipality yetThe British era suspension bridge collapsed on October 30 claiming the lives of 135 persons.Senior advocate Devang Vyas appeared for the Morbi municipality and informed the court that he received instructions very late. He submitted that the notice was served on the municipality on November 9, but since the “set up” of the municipality is not there after the bridge tragedy with the chief officer being put under suspension, a resident collector has been given its charge. Though the officer concerned was aware of the development, he could not take a decision and the municipality could not respond. Moreover, the officer is also busy with election duty. Read AlsoMorbi bridge tragedy: ‘Oreva dictated contract terms to civic body’A fortnight after the suspension bridge in Morbi collapsed killing 135 people, police are yet to place any charges against the contractor, Oreva Group, even as various revelations have divulged alleged criminal negligence by the contractor and officers of the civic body.On hearing this, the bench told the lawyer, “Don’t take it so casually.” The court asked the municipality to file its reply within a couple of hours. When the lawyer sought time, the court agreed to grant time on a condition of paying a fine of Rs 1 lakh. The municipality agreed to file its reply in the post-lunch session. On October 30, in the suspension bridge collapse incident, 135 persons were killed.
Cables of 150-year-old bridge over Machchu river collapsed last month, killing over 130 people. (File)Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court today warned the civic body of Morbi, where a bridge collapse killed more than 130 people on October 30, over delay in filing a status report despite two notices. "Yesterday you were acting smart, now you are taking the matter casually," said the court, "So, either file your reply by this evening, or pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh."The civic body's lawyer cited a technicality: The Deputy Collector who's in-charge of the civic body is on election duty."The notice should have been sent to the Deputy Collector, but it was served to the civic body instead, on November 9. Thus, the delay in appearing before this court," the lawyer said.An affidavit giving details of how the collapse occurred is now expected by the evening, if the officials follow the court's directions.The court had taken note of the tragedy on its own and sought replies from at least six departments. Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh J Shastri are hearing the matter.On Tuesday, the court sought direct answers over the manner in which the contract was awarded for maintenance of the 150-year-old bridge."The municipality, a government body, has defaulted, which ultimately killed 135 people," the court had said as a preliminary observation. It pointedly asked officials to come back with details on whether any condition for certifying fitness of the bridge before its reopening was part the agreement, and who the person responsible was."The state shall also place on record reasons why disciplinary proceedings against chief officer of the civic body aren't commenced," it had said."The largesse of the state seems to have been granted without there being any tender floated in this regard," its order noted.The municipality had given the 15-year contract to Oreva Group, which is best known for the Ajanta brand of wall clocks."Was the largesse of the state given to Ajanta company without any tender being floated?" the court had observed.It asked for the basis on which the bridge was being operated by the company after June 2017 "even when [the contract signed in 2008] was not renewed". A new agreement was signed this year.So far, only nine staff members of the company have been arrested, while the top management, which signed the Rs 7-crore pact, has not faced action, nor have any officers been held accountable for the bridge having been reopened ahead of the renovation schedule.It is alleged that the company did not replace the rusted cables but installed a new flooring that proved too heavy.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comThe court had asked for files of the contract to be submitted in a sealed envelope.The government told the court yesterday that it worked at "lightning speed" to save lives.
AHMEDABAD: A fortnight after the suspension bridge in Morbi collapsed killing 135 people, police are yet to place any charges against the contractor, Oreva Group, even as various revelations have divulged alleged criminal negligence by the contractor and officers of the civic body. In a new revelation, it has been learnt from the civic body and police officers that Oreva Group promoter Jaysukh Patel and his aides framed the clauses in the contract for repair, maintenance and security of the bridge for 15 years. All the conditions, which did not have any penal provisions, were made by “legal experts” assigned by Oreva Group. “When the contract was signed on March 7, 2022, there were some objections from the Morbi collector’s office. However, the Morbi municipality officers did not accept the objections and it has been learned during the investigation that Oreva Group promoter Jaysukh Patel through his aides dictated the terms to the state agencies. He had inserted clauses in the contract drafted by legal experts from his side and the civic body had no say,” said a police officer. A Morbi civic body officer confirmed this and said that the municipality officers did not even inspect the suspension bridge during or after the repair work. One of the most unusual clauses in the contract was that Oreva Group had hand the bridge back in 2037, but did not mention penal action if the group failed to do so. “After completion of the agreement (between the Morbi municipality and Oreva), the suspension bridge, in whatever condition it may be, will be handed over back to the municipality or the agreement will be renewed again,” reads Clause 8 of the contract. Even after getting many pieces of evidence against Patel and the civic body, police have so far now only booked managers, security guards and ticket collectors of the bridge. “We are yet to trace or give notice to Patel as he is not an accused in this case,” said an officer of Morbi police.
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court was upset with the Morbi municipality when it learned that the civic authorities did not accept the court's notice, issued in the suo motu PIL on the suspension bridge collapse incident, and nobody appeared before the court to represent the civic body during the hearing on Tuesday. "They are acting smart," Chief Justice Aravind Kumar said and ordered the Morbi district judge to send a bailiff to serve the notice before 4.30 pm, ordering the municipality to attend the court proceeding posted specially on Wednesday. The high court asked the state government why it has not taken action against the municipality under Section 263 of the Gujarat Municipalities Act, which means dissolving or superseding the municipality for defaulting on its duties. This was because the local authorities did not ensure proper checks in its agreement clauses and then failed to follow the required procedure to allow Ajanta, the contractor, to reopen the bridge. The state government submitted that the bridge was reopened without prior approval. The high court also sought a reply from the state government on why it has not initiated disciplinary proceedings against the chief officer of Morbi municipality, S V Zala, who has been suspended. The court asked the government if disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against him, and that the government should produce details of it along those of other inquiries or departmental proceedings initiated against other officials. The high court has also ordered the state government to secure the entire file relating to the Morbi suspension bridge including the contracts awarded for repairs, maintenance, operations and revenue collected. The court asked for all documents regarding contracts "right from day one till date" - from June 16, 2008. The HC demanded the documents by Thursday.
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court on Tuesday sharply criticized the lapse on part of state authorities, especially the Morbi municipality, for the vague contract, awarded without any tendering process, which the civic body had signed with Ajanta Manufacturing Pvt Ltd (Oreva Group) for maintenance and operation of the Morbi suspension bridge. The British era suspension bridge collapsed on October 30 claiming the lives of 135 persons. Hearing a suo motu PIL on the Morbi bridge tragedy, the HC slammed the agreement as 'largesse of the state' without any conditions. "It is a one-and-a-quarter page agreement, absolutely without any conditions. This agreement is by way of an understanding, largesse of the state for 10 years, and no tenders floated, no expression of interest," a division bench of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh Shastri observed. Court asks why govt hasn't superseded municipality yetAfter that term was over on June 15, 2017, what steps were taken by the state government or Morbi municipality to float a tender? How come no expression of interest was tendered, and how the largesse of the state was given to an individual without floating a tender...Why have you still not superseded the municipality?" the court asked. The HC also noted that Ajanta "arm twisted" the district collector to win the contract in 2020 by writing three letters stating that until and unless an agreement is executed, Ajanta would not commence the repair work of the bridge. "Yet, the said Ajanta continued to operate, maintain and receive the revenue from the visitors to the bridge," the court observed as it questioned inadequacy of the agreement with regard to the fixation of responsibilities. In response to the suo motu PIL, the advocate general apprised the high court about the incident and action taken - the rescue operation and compensation provided to the victims' families. The HC was informed that there were a total of 3,165 persons who visited the bridge on the fateful day. At the time of the accident at 6.30 pm, there were more than 300 tickets sold. The government also said that the bridge was opened without any prior approval and without obtaining any fitness certificate about structural stability. On this, this court questioned if under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the municipality and Ajanta, responsibility was fixed as to who will certify that the bridge is ready and fit for usage. "This detail was missing from the state government's reply because the copy of MoU was not available," the court observed. The high court has posed various queries to the state government on how Ajanta was allowed to operate without issuing any tender. The court questioned the government why it has not dissolved or superseded the Morbi municipality, and initiated any disciplinary proceedings against its chief officer, S V Zala. Besides, the HC ordered the government to immediately secure the entire file related to contracts of the suspension bridge commencing from day 1 till date and submit in HC registry in a sealed cover by Thursday.
AHMEDABAD: As part of an ongoing multi-agency investigation into a fake billing scam, state goods and services tax (SGST) officials have unearthed fake billing of Rs 650 crore. This figure is expected to rise, according to senior SGST officials. Last week, the SGST department along with the Gujarat anti-terrorist squad (ATS) and Ahmedabad crime branch raided 205 locations linked to 115 companies suspected to be fake entities existing only on paper. Some 41 firms have been confirmed to be bogus entities. Top sources privy to the development said GST evasion of up to Rs 100 crore has already been reported in this case and the number will rise as the investigation progresses. Some 91 persons are being questioned by SGST and ATS officials in connection with the case. "We have also come across forgery of documents and impersonation. The investigation is now divided between ATS and SGST. While tax officials are probing evasion and fraudulently availed input tax credit, ATS is investigating the movement of the money. There is a strong suspicion of laundering of the proceeds of the scam," said a well-placed source. According to sources in the SGST department, tax recovery is expected to be a major challenge. "The focus is on securing incriminating documents and investigating further so that the extent of scam can be determined. This will also help tax officials to nab the 24 accused persons who are still at large," the source added. Of the bogus firms, 14 were registered in Ahmedabad, 12 in Vadodara, nine in Surat, three in Bhavnagar, two in Rajkot and one in Gandhidham. Each of these would generate bills for commodities such as scrap, metal scrap, metals, chemicals, and metal rods, to obtain and pass on illicitly obtained input tax credit. Last Saturday, officials of the SGST department and central agencies raided 205 locations in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Valsad, Rajkot, Panchmahal, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Kutch, Kheda, Narmada, Mahisagar, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, and Anand regarding this case.
AHMEDABAD: In what appears to be a high-value bogus billing scam that has surfaced just ahead of the Gujarat assembly election, the state goods and services tax (SGST) department along with ATS and Ahmedabad crime branch raided the premises of some 115 suspected bogus companies, since early on Saturday morning. Based on technical intelligence, SGST officials identified bogus companies in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Valsad, Rajkot, Panchmahal, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Kutch, Kheda, Narmada, Mahisagar, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, and Anand. SGST officials carried out raids across 205 locations in these cities. Some 90 teams have been deployed. SGST officials said 91 persons are being interrogated in relation with this case. The preliminary investigation revealed that each bogus firm was used to generate and issue bills for commodities such as scrap, metal scrap, metals, chemicals, and metal rods, to avail and pass on illicitly obtained input tax credit. More bogus firms have also come to the fore during the investigation. Officials expect higher tax evasion to be reported as the investigation progresses. Sources privy to the developments said during the investigation of fake billing scams reported recently, it was found that illicitly obtained input tax credit using fake bills was used to fund illegal activities. “In the past, in certain cases, we found that fake companies registered in Gujarat have bank accounts in remote locations such as Assam. More recently, the Reserve Bank alerted central agencies in Indore and Mumbai about high-value transactions taking place through Paytm, based on which the GST evasion scam involving 500 fake companies was unearthed and four persons were arrested in Surat. In this case, it is suspected that money siphoned off using fake bills is being transferred through hawala. We are still investigating,” a top source told TOI. Bogus companies identified in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Valsad, Rajkot, Panchmahal, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Kutch, Kheda, Narmada, Mahisagar.
AHMEDABAD: In what appears to be a high-value bogus billing scam that has surfaced just ahead of the state assembly election, the state goods and services tax (SGST) department along with ATS and Ahmedabad crime branch raided the premises of some 115 suspected bogus companies, since early on Saturday morning. Based on technical intelligence, SGST officials identified bogus companies in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Valsad, Rajkot, Panchmahal, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Kutch, Kheda, Narmada, Mahisagar, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, and Anand. SGST officials carried out raids across 205 locations in these cities. Some 90 teams have been deployed. SGST officials said 91 persons are being interrogated in relation with this case. The preliminary investigation revealed that each bogus firm was used to generate and issue bills for commodities such as scrap, metal scrap, metals, chemicals, and metal rods, to avail and pass on illicitly obtained input tax credit. More bogus firms have also come to the fore during the investigation. Officials expect higher tax evasion to be reported as the investigation progresses. Sources privy to the developments said during the investigation of fake billing scams reported recently, it was found that illicitly obtained input tax credit using fake bills was used to fund illegal activities. "In the past, in certain cases, we found that fake companies registered in Gujarat have bank accounts in remote locations such as Assam. More recently, the Reserve Bank alerted central agencies in Indore and Mumbai about high-value transactions taking place through Paytm, based on which the GST evasion scam involving 500 fake companies was unearthed and four persons were arrested in Surat. In this case, it is suspected that money siphoned off using fake bills is being transferred through hawala. We are still investigating," a top source told TOI. The economic offences cell of Surat police also recently arrested 16 persons for a fake billing scam, based on a tip-off about high-value transactions. "This scam appears to be well-calculated and spread across various states and districts. It involves a lot of offences of forgery and others not under the direct purview of the state commercial tax department. Therefore, other law enforcement agencies have been roped in for investigation so missing links can be identified," the source added.
