AHMEDABAD: The Morbi bridge collapse that claimed 135 lives remains one of Gujarat's darkest tragedies. Yet, more than two years later, the Gujarat tourism department's official website continues to promote the ill-fated Jhulto Pul (hanging bridge) as a "Victorian-era architectural marvel". This promotion of a place of immense suffering as a prime tourist destination has sparked outrage, with locals and victims' families, who see it as a grossly insensitive oversight. Many believe the site should be a memorial, not a tourist attraction. The website describes Morbi as a town reminiscent of 19th-century Europe, with "quaint cobbled alleyways and buildings", and hails the bridge as "a nostalgic reminder of Victorian London".The write-up, accompanied by a photograph of the erstwhile structure before it collapsed in 2022, "welcomes visitors into the city through a grand suspension bridge, an artistic and technological marvel of that period".
However, the promotional content has drawn sharp criticism for disregarding the tragedy which occurred on Oct 31, 2022, during the Diwali holidays. The British-era pedestrian suspension bridge, a popular tourist attraction spanning the Machchhu river in the centre of Morbi town, snapped under the weight of 200 to 250 people. The collapse killed 135 people, including 54 children – 33 of whom were aged 10 years or younger.
A local industrial group, Oreva, was given the contract to repair, renovate, maintain and operate the bridge. The company reopened the bridge to the public on Oct 24, 2022. However, structural failures allegedly led to the catastrophe, and the mangled remains of the bridge were cleared more than a month later. To this day, the site remains without a replacement bridge.
Victims' families and locals are now demanding that the tourism department update its website and remove the misleading description. They argued that the tragedy site should serve as a memorial to honour the victims rather than be showcased as an attraction.
Among those outraged is Pankaj Amrutia, who lost four family members in the collapse. He says he still struggles to cope with the loss. "My workplace is in the Samakantha locality, and every time I pass the site of the bridge, I cannot control my emotions. I often burst into tears. To see the place where my loved ones died being promoted as a tourist attraction is unacceptable," he said.
Firoz Sarvadi, an ambulance driver from Tankara, who worked through the night of the disaster, ferrying at least 80 to 90 bodies and transporting 120 injured individuals to hospitals. "The chapter of Jhulto Pul closed that night. There is nothing left for the people. I still remember the horror of that night; people died for no fault of theirs. It is painful that the govt website still presents it as a tourist spot. The govt should build a memorial for those who lost their lives there," he said.
Mohit Parmar, a BBA student and aspiring police officer, narrowly escaped the tragedy when he decided to avoid going on the bridge keeping Covid-19 precautions in mind. "The bridge exists only in the memories of Morbi's people. The path to it is blocked, and no one can access the area anymore. The mention of the bridge on the website is a blunder that the govt should have avoided," he said.