Fate of Tripunithura’s century-old iron bridge hangs in the balance

The bridge, built in 1890, is one of the earliest iron bridges in India, much older than the Howrah Bridge in Kolkata.
The 130-year-old iron bridge in Tripunithura.
The 130-year-old iron bridge in Tripunithura.(Photo | Express)
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KOCHI: The controversial decision to demolish a century-old iron bridge in Tripunithura and replace it with a modern, wider structure faces its first major test on Friday when a public hearing will be held to present the findings of the project’s social impact study and conclude it.

The nearly three-month-long process was conducted by a three-member team from Bharata Mata College in Kakkanad. However, as TNIE highlighted in its May 5 report, and as many feared, none of them has expertise in adequately mapping the cultural and historical significance of the existing 130-year-old structure.

Over a phone call with TNIE, one of its members admitted to the group’s unfamiliarity with documenting structures of this kind. On whether they had sought any expert counsel to aid the study, the reply was negative.

“It’s a disgrace,” lamented Sandhya Das, a resident who had been vocal about conserving the iron bridge, one of the structures identified by the Greater Cochin Development Authority as having ‘historical’ significance; a fact the study team is unaware of.

Sandhya is not alone. Residents, experts and historians have all voiced their stiff opposition to the Rs 30-crore project, which they say is not only needless but also insensitive. Also, why a cash-strapped government would even consider it puzzles many.

Remnant of history

The bridge, built in 1890, is one of the earliest iron bridges in India, much older than the Howrah Bridge in Kolkata. Back in the day, it connected Kottakkakom, i.e. the stronghold of the erstwhile Cochin royal family, with the remainder of the kingdom.

As one of the few intact remnants of the 19th century, the bridge facilitates an invaluable avenue to understand the history of steel use in construction engineering and the evolution of trade in the former Cochin state.

Today, the iron bridge serves as a link between Tripunithura and the southwestern regions of Kakkanad and Kochi corporation areas. However, since 2019, only light vehicles have been allowed on the structure owing to, according to the PWD, “technical limits to strengthen it.”

However, the bridge, nestled in a residential zone, only sees minimal traffic. It is primarily used by locals and devotees of the nearby Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple. There are better, wider roads in the vicinity.

“The two-minute, 200-m deviation this iron bridge necessitates is simply the cost of living in an urban city,” said Biley Menon, an architect and urban designer.

Earlier, the PWD had also cited how the new bridge, with a height of 5.5m, will facilitate boat passage, especially the services which the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) plans to operate. However, a study of KMRL’s detailed project report has revealed there are no such plans on the anvil.

“There is a water metro planned at Thykoodam which will connect Vyttila. However, the boats will be taking the Chambakara canal route, not Padinjare Puzha,” a KMRL official told TNIE.

Current status

As per latest information, administrative sanction has been granted for the project, which also entails, in addition to demolishing the iron bridge, acquiring 60 cents of land from Tripunithura’s key heritage zones. Friday’s meeting will discuss these details and the final layout of the proposed structure.

The public hearing will be held at 11:30 am at Classic Fort Hotel near Gandhi Square, Tripunithura. It will be attended by officials from the public works department, the local tahsildar, councillors, and other stakeholders. However, the person who led the social impact study will be absent from the meeting, TNIE has learned.

Whether the project will go ahead or not is another matter. The fact that it is on the table points to an indifference to preserving the heritage of Tripunithura, which has seen many buildings of significant cultural and historical value vanish in the past decade. Of the 55 that GCDA had identified, only 14 remain.

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