IDUKKI: The temporary bridge opened for traffic on Sunday finally reinstated the connectivity between Munnar and Marayur towns, which were cut off after the old bridge on the Munnar-Udumalpet route collapsed in rain. Devikulam MLA S Rajendran opened the bridge for pedestrians.The Public Works Department quickly started building a temporary structure after the original bridge was severely damaged in the floods on August 16. The new bridge is constructed by fixing six huge concrete pipes, brought from Tamil Nadu, across the Panniyar River and later levelling it with metal and rock dust.
The officers, including District Collector K Jeevan Babu, Sub-Collector V R Premkumar, tahsildar P K Shaji and DySP Suneesh Babu, visited the bridge on Saturday to ensure its safety. Sand bags have also been piled up in the ridge area on both sides, to prevent metal from erosion.
With the opening of the bridge, traffic through the Munnar-Udumalpet interstate highway has been eased, which is expected to benefit the tourism sector here.As the rain receded, Neelakurinji has started blooming across the vast stretches of the Eravikulam National Park, located 15 km away from Munnar. However, due to the lack of connectivity, tourists were finding it difficult to reach the park. “We hope with the opening of the bridge, tourists will start arriving in hordes,” said Lakshmi R, wildlife warden, Idukki.
“We were afraid to send our children to school. They should walk over the temporary narrow concrete poles to cross the river. Now, at least we can relax that our children will be safe,” said Jafar, a resident of Munnar.The work was completed by PWD within 10 days. The construction of the new bridge will be completed on a war-footing.