COIMBATORE: Odanthurai Panchayat will turn an unused British-era suspension bridge on Coonoor Road near Mettupalayam, which has turned 100. According to sources, the 20-metre, pillar-less steel bridge, called as Thooripalam and Kallar Bridge, was built on the Kallar River in 1924 -1925. It is a significant structure connecting Mettupalayam with Coonoor and Udhagamandalam.
Before building the suspension bridge, the British had built a masonry bridge in 1894 to cross the river. The single-lane masonry bridge was razed by the highways department in 2015 as it got damaged. Environmental activists slammed the decision and said the structure should have been preserved.
The highways department reasoned that it was razed to facilitate building a two-lane modern structure.
After the concrete bridge was constructed, in 2016, traffic on the suspension bridge was stopped. However, tourists visit the bridge for its heritage value.
R Thangavelu, president of Odanthurai Panchayat said, “Following demands from various quarters, we have decided to make it a monument. It is our responsibility to preserve the structure.
We have started painting and other works on the bridge. We have sent a request to the state government through the district administration to announce it as a heritage bridge. Also, a half acre of panchayat land is available near the bridge.
We have decided to convert it into a park to attract tourists. Through the plan, the panchayat could get revenue from it.”