The horror in the town of Morbi is one of the worst tragedies in India for years, killing 135 people, most of them women, children and the elderly. The bridge is described by the state’s tourism website as a “technological marvel” and is popular with sightseers. The 137-year-old suspension bridge had reopened just five days earlier following repairs. Local residents and journalists blame the company which operated the bridge – and the police and local authorities are also accused of failures. Spanning the Machchu river, the 230m (754ft)-long structure connects Darbargarh Palace and Lakhdhirji
Engineering College. Dates for its construction vary, but locals say it was built in the 1880s by the local Maharaja, Waghji Thakore. Many people are now asking how a tragedy of this scale could happen and why was it not prevented? The bridge was thrown open to the public to coincide with the Gujarati new year. A day earlier, Jaysukh Bhai Patel, the owner of Oreva group, the firm contracted to maintain and operate the bridge since 2008, told a press conference the renovation work had cost 20 million rupees ($242,000; £211,200).
“Nothing will happen to the bridge for the next 8-10 years. And if it’s used responsibly, the bridge will need no repairs for 15 years,” the Times of India quoted him as saying. However, after the collapse, many are questioning why a company known for making clocks was allowed to maintain a bridge. It also makes lighting products, battery-operated bikes and home appliances.
Source: Source: bbc.com
Delhi was India’s most Polluted City in 2022: Report
Delhi was the most polluted city in India in 2022 with PM2.5 levels more than double the safe limit and the third highest average PM10 concentration, according to an analysis of Central Pollution Control Board data. PM2.5 pollution in the national capital has reduced by over 7 per cent in four years, from 108 micrograms per cubic metre in 2019 to 99.71 micrograms per cubic metre in 2022, the report by NCAP Tracker said.
However, it still remains way below the desired level. The government’s flagship National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) targets to reduce pollution by 20 per cent to 30 per cent by 2024 (as compared to 2017 levels). NCAP Tracker is a joint project of news portal Carbon Copy and a Maharashtra-based start- up ‘Respirer Living Sciences’ and is designed to track India’s progress in achieving clean air targets. The Centre launched NCAP on January 10, 2019 to reduce PM2.5 and PM10 levels in 102 cities by 20 percent to 30 per cent by 2024 (with 2017 being the base year). Some more cities were added to the list, while some were dropped subsequently. Now there are 131 cities which are called non-attainment cities, as they did not meet the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for the period of 2011-15 under the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme.
Source: ndtv.com
