It seems the Palarivattom flyover is not a one-off instance of faulty construction. Barely a few kilometres away, the Kadamakkudy-Puthusserithodu sluice-cum-bridge commissioned in 2007 was closed down last week.
The Public Works Department move came after it emerged that the landing portion of the bridge along with the approach road is in a dilapidated condition, posing major threat to public life and safety.
While the Palarivattom bridge is situated on the busy NH and invited widespread attention, the fate of the sluice-cum-bridge situated at the only road connecting Kadamakkudy islands with Kochi remains largely ignored.
“The bridge was closed down by the PWD Bridges’ Division two weeks ago. Now, two-wheelers and autorickshaws alone are allowed to travel through the bridge. And students of the Vocational Higher Secondary school, workers and employees headed to Ernakulam city as well as people of Kadamakkudy, Cheriyamthuruthu and Puthussery find it difficult to reach their destination. The bus services have been cancelled and most of the residents here are now forced to trek nearly four kilometres to reach Varapuzha,” said Alex Manavalan, former block panchayat member, Edappally.
The construction of the sluice-cum- bridge was launched in August 2005 by the-then MLA
MA Kuttappan. And it was opened to traffic in 2007. “However, the approach road on both sides of the bridge was constructed unscientifically. The initial budget for the bridge was Rs 1.36 crore, which was revised later. Due to unscientific construction, the approach roads were destroyed during the floods which hit the state last year.
“The PWD Roads’ Division carried out the repair works. However, it became potholed as soon as the monsoon set in. The PWD team which carried out the inspection last week said it is dangerous to allow heavy vehicles to pass through the bridge. The PWD then passed the buck to the Minor Irrigation Department which built the bridge,” said Manavalan.