Jamaat also demanded adequate compensation for the aggrieved families

Clarion India

NEW DELHI — Expressing pain and anguish at the cable bridge collapse in Morbi, Gujarat, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) demanded a judicial inquiry into the tragedy in which 140 innocent lives were lost.

In a statement to the media, JIH Vice-President Prof Salim Engineer said, “We are extremely pained at the collapse of the Morbi Bridge in which more than 140 people lost their lives and around 200 people are still missing. We offer our condolences to the bereaved families of the dead and pray for a speedy recovery for the injured.”

Noting that the people, who were responsible managing the bridge, had opened the bridge barely four days ago without a mandatory fitness certificate from the local Municipality, the statement said findings of a government-appointed probe into the tragedy should be made public and the guilty should be awarded exemplary punishment.

In this context, the JIH demanded that all government and non-government agencies found responsible for the tragedy should be severely punished as per the law. It also wanted the Gujarat government to ensure that no corruption or flouting of norms takes place in any of its projects.

It further said that the government must use due diligence to guard against any such eventuality in future especially during religious events where devotees throng public places.

Prof Salim has also demanded adequate compensation for the aggrieved families.

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Photo: People gather during a rescue operation after the collapse of a suspension bridge over the Machchhu river, in Morbi. — PTI