Gujarat Assembly Election 2022: Morbi Municipality's chief officer suspended days after bridge collapse

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New Delhi: Less than twenty-four hours after the Election Commission announced the Gujarat assembly poll dates, the BJP-led Gujarat government can be seen in action, as they suspended Morbi Municipality's chief officer Sandipsinh Zala on Friday, November 4, 2022. This comes only days after a bridge collapse in Gujarat claimed at least 135 people. GT Pandya, the District Collector of Morbi, stated that the Chief Officer has been delegated to the Resident Additional Collector of Morbi.

"The State Urban Development Department has suspended Chief Officer of Morbi Municipality Sandipsinh Zala," said Morbi District Collector GT Pandya.

“Resident Additional Collector of Morbi has been given the additional charge of the Chief Officer until further orders,” he said. However, the official notice is yet to come, as informed by the District Collector. 

At least 135 people, including women and children, were killed and over 100 are receiving treatment for their injuries sustained after a cable suspension bridge in Morbi town collapsed on Sunday, plunging people into the Machchhu River. According to the reports, the cable of the bridge was rusting away and only the flooring of the bridge was done. The cables were not changed and oiling-greasing was also not done. Several opposition leaders across the country have condemned the mishap and expressed their dismay over the “misgovernance” of the BJP in the state. 

As announced by the Election Commission on Thursday, the Gujarat Assembly elections will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5, and the results will be declared on December 8, the Election Commission announced Thursday. Of the 182 seats in the Legislative Assembly, 89 will go to polls in the first phase and 93 in the second. There are over 4.9 crore electors eligible to vote this year. There will be more than 51,000 polling stations set up, including more than 34,000 in rural areas.