Morbi fallout: BJP councillors urge CM to revoke dissolution of civic body

Nearly 49 BJP councillors on Thursday wrote to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel pleading not to supersede the civic body. They claimed that they were not directly or indirectly involved in sanctioning the Morbi bridge to the private firm that led to the collapse in which 135 peopled were killed.

Morbi:The Gujarat government's order to dissolve the municipality of Morbi in the wake of the suspension bridge collapse met with objections from the leaders of the ruling BJP itself as, nearly 49 saffron party councillors on Thursday wrote to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel pleading not to supersede the civic body.

The councillors claimed that they were not directly or indirectly involved in sanctioning the Morbi bridge to the private firm. At a meeting here, they decided to meet the CM on Monday to make an appeal to reconsider the decision.

In this regard, the councillors said that the agreement between the Oreva Group and the Morbi bridge was undertaken without their knowledge. They said the contract was signed unilaterally by the president of the civic body and was not brought up to the general board of the municipality, claiming none of the 49 members had signed the MoU between the two parties, and hence should be allowed to serve their full term.

The agreement in question was signed in March for the maintenance and operation of the ill-fated bridge. The private firm came under scrutiny after the collapse of the bridge which claimed lives of 135 people. So far police have arrested nine persons, including four from the Oreva group, and filed a case against the firm for grave negligence.