Bridge collapse: Gujarat govt asks Morbi municipality why it shouldn't be dissolved
Ahmedabad (PTI): Months after a suspension bridge collapsed in Morbi town of Gujarat killing 135 people, the state government has issued a show-cause notice to the local municipality asking why it should not be dissolved for failing to discharge its duties.
The notice was issued on Wednesday by the state Urban Development Department, which directed the Morbi civic body to submit a written clarification in the form of a general body resolution by January 25.
Notably, the state government had on December 13 told the Gujarat High Court, which took cognisance of the tragedy on its own and registered a public interest litigation (PIL), that it had decided to dissolve the municipality.
The suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Morbi town collapsed on October 30 last year, killing 135 persons. The bridge was maintained and operated by Oreva Group as per an agreement signed with Morbi municipality.
In the notice, the department has said that the previous contract to operate the bridge expired in 2017. Between 2018 and 2020, Oreva Group had written several letters to the Morbi municipality warning about the dilapidated condition of the bridge and also cautioned that a serious accident may occur if the bridge remains open to the public in such a condition.
However, the civic body did not take cognisance of such warnings by the company, the notice said.
Moreover, the municipality did not take any concrete action to take over the bridge from the company in 2017 after the completion of the contract and remained inactive despite knowing the situation of the bridge, it said.
"The company failed to hand over the bridge to the concerned authority and no corrective action could be taken by either party to improve the condition of the bridge," the notice said citing the findings of a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
It further said that several lapses on the part of Oreva Group were also found in repairs, maintenance and operation of the bridge, such as no restriction on the number of persons accessing the bridge at a given point in time, no restriction on the sale of tickets, leading to unrestricted movement on the bridge and repair being carried out without consulting competent experts.
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Karnataka School Edu Dept prohibits children from being made to dance to obscene songs
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka School Education Department has issued a circular strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs in educational and cultural programmes.
It stated that such dances would negatively impact students' mental health and moral values. It will create indiscipline and harm the sanctity of education.
"All the Deputy Directors (Administration) of the state's School Education Department have been asked to take strict measures to prevent children or students from dancing to obscene songs in all government, aided and unaided schools in the state," the office of the commissioner of the School Education Department said in a recent circular.
"If it is found that children are being made to dance to obscene songs, appropriate action will be taken against the headmaster or management of such school," it added.
The department also listed certain measures in this regard, which include: strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes; selecting songs that are inspiring, positive, instilling national pride in children and reflecting the greatness, dignity, values, culture, and morality of the state.
Stating that the school headmaster and management are responsible for selecting songs and dances for cultural programmes, it said, they should also ensure that students wear decent clothes in dance or cultural programmes.
