A major tragedy befell India on Sunday evening when a cable-stayed bridge on Macchu river in Gujarat collapsed, leading to the death of over 140 people. The tragedy took place while the sightseers were enjoying Chhath puja festivities. Reports have claimed that around 400-500 people were on the bridge when it collapsed. The bridge dates back to the 19th century. How were so many people allowed to gather on it? It is known that a private company that maintained it used to charge people tickets to go on it. Officials have alleged that the bridge, which was closed for maintenance, had opened to the public ahead of schedule. Here the details of the case get murky.
While it is well-known that big companies often outsource their work to smaller firms, it has to be checked, on what basis was the bridge opened? While criminal liability for such tragedies is criminally low, it'll have to be seen how strictly the state government acts against those responsible for this. And who eventually gets blamed for it.
