MALAPPURAM: The assistant executive engineer of Malappuram and the district SP on Wednesday inspected the temporary bridge at Thirunavaya built for the Mahamagha Mahotsavam, which will be held till February 3. The inspection report will be submitted to the Kerala High Court. The engineer issued technical instructions to the organisers, asking them to strengthen the safety and structural stability of the bridge.
The revenue department had halted the construction of the temporary bridge across the Bharathapuzha. Following the issuance of a stop memo by the Thirunavaya village officer, the organisers approached the HC, which ordered the inspection.
Construction of the bridge, intended to connect the riverbank to the sandbank in the middle of the Bharathapuzha, had been going on for about a week. The stop memo was issued last week, and when construction resumed on Tuesday, revenue officials and police intervened and ordered the work be stopped.
Meanwhile, the influx of devotees to Thirunavaya has increased with the start of the festival on January 18. On Wednesday, devotees from Andhra Pradesh arrived in specially arranged Andhra Pradesh RTC buses.