- Friday, March 07, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (1) visited the site in Morbi in the western state of Gujarat where a suspension bridge collapsed on Sunday (30), resulting in the death of more than 130 people.
Indian news channel NDTV reported that hours before Modi’s visit, a government hospital was given a completely new look as a patient’s ward was freshly painted and some patients were selected and shifted to it and even briefed about speaking with the former.
Modi was also set to visit the hospital and meet the injured the same day.
According to the report, a ward on the hospital’s ground floor that was empty was deep cleaned with new beds and fresh bed sheets set up. Some of the people who were injured in the bridge accident and were kept on the first floor, were now moved to the ward.
At least 40 people worked through Monday (31) night to repaint the entire exterior of the hospital and give touch-ups in the wards where Modi would meet the victims. The hospital’s toilets got new tiles and some new water coolers were set up too.
The tragedy has become a major political tussle, particularly ahead of the upcoming election in Gujarat, with rival parties slamming Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party over “event management over dead bodies”.
The Indian National Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have sought answers from the state’s ruling party over how the British-era suspension bridge was reopened without a completion certificate.
The bridge, which was closed since March for renovation, was reopened only last week.
So far, police have arrested some members of the company that had the renovation contract.
It was a “seriously irresponsible and careless gesture” to open the bridge ahead of schedule, the police said in the FIR.
The state government also formed a five-member probe committee.
A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court for a judicial investigation, the report added.
It will be heard on November 14.
