KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Saturday ordered expeditious construction of a Bailey bridge with the help of the Army across Njunangar river at Pampa in view of the Sabarimala Mandala-Makaravilakku season which will begin on Tuesday. The court also impleaded the station house officer of Panangad military station, Thiruvananthapuram, in the case.
The court issued the order based on a report of the Sabarimala Special Commission stating that Njunangar bridge, which was the usual route for vehicles near Pampa, was damaged in the heavy rain on Thursday and an alternative arrangement has to be made before the pilgrimage season.
The report stated that movement of vehicles through the bridge is highly essential for running the Sewage Treatment Plant and also the incinerator at Pampa and, therefore, reconstruction of the bridge has to be completed before the season begins. It added that the Indian military force and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have the technical resources to construct a Bailey bridge.