Contractors who repaired Morbi bridge not qualified for such work: Prosecution tells court

Morbi: The contractors who carried out repairs of the ill-fated suspension bridge at Morbi in Gujarat were not qualified to carry out such jobs, the prosecution told a court here.
While the bridge flooring was replaced, its cable was not replaced and it could not take the weight of the changed flooring, the prosecution, citing a forensic report, told the magistrate’s court on Tuesday.
The collapse of the bridge on Sunday evening claimed 135 lives.
Chief Judicial Magistrate M J Khan remanded four of the arrested accused — two managers of the OREVA Group and two sub-contractors who had repaired the bridge — in police custody till Saturday.
The court remanded five other arrested men, including security guards and ticket booking clerks, in judicial custody as police did not seek their custody, prosecutor H S Panchal said.
Police had on Monday booked nine persons under Indian Penal Code Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).