KOCHI: Having come to a standstill four days ago following a trade union stir, the renovation of the Chambakkara Bridge resumed on Wednesday.
The work was disrupted after a section of local workers demanded a 50 per cent reservation to labourers belonging to their union. The civil work was halted on Saturday due to frequent interruptions by CITU workers. Except piling, other work - including those of the pile cap and pier columns - was affected due to the interruptions by local trade union workers.
"No such interruptions were made by any worker on Wednesday. We were able to resume the work by noon," said a DMRC officer.
Meanwhile, CITU Vyttila secretary Sathyan told Express the union has not carried out any protest march or made any such declaration to disrupt work.
“We haven't asked any of our workers to disrupt work. As per the agreement with the Builder's Association, one-third of the total workers should be from CITU, one-third from another union and the remaining one-third can be from the contractor's recruitment. All three sections will have 33 per cent representation in the total work. What I came to know is the contractor has demanded that 50 per cent of the workers should be from their side. However, we have not intervened in this matter,” said Sathyan.
The renovation of the Chambakkara Bridge is crucial for the completion of the Kochi Metro Rail segment between Vyttila and Tripunithura. DMRC is planning to complete the reconstruction of the bridge by the middle of 2019. The plan is to reconstruct the existing two-lane bridge to a 310-metre-long and 8.5-metre-wide four-lane bridge. The total cost of the work is Rs 33.66 crore and the construction of the metro viaduct in the region will also be carried out along with the construction of the bridge. Marymatha Construction is the contractor for the work.
“If the work on the bridge is affected, it will affect the Metro line's progress too," said the DMRC officer.