Monsoon to delay restoration of Valiyathura pier
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With yet another monsoon round the corner, the Valiyathura pier that was damaged severely by rough waves during Cyclone Tauktae last year is yet to be rectified by the state government. The middle portion of the iconic heritage structure weakened after its pillars suffered significant damage due to sea erosion.
For the past 10 months, visitors have been barred from entering the six-decade-old bridge. Despite the project receiving administrative sanction in February this year, nothing has moved forward positively.
Sources said the plan to construct a special view deck along with the rectification work has been dropped and the government plans to only restore the pier to its previous condition.
Earlier, the harbour engineering department proposed a project to beautify the pier. But it was also dropped due to the presence of rough waves. The intermittent rains also affected the work as the department has only completed soil testing. The preparation of an estimate is under way to ensure floating of tenders by next month. However, monsoon may hit the state soon which would further delay the rectification project.
"We are expecting to invite a tender in June. The preparation of the estimate is in progress. The state government has already given administrative sanction for the project at a cost of Rs 3.35 crore. So we are currently focusing on rectifying the bridge rather than beautifying it by constructing a view deck. The rain in the last three weeks also delayed the work," said G S Anilkumar, executive engineer, harbour engineering department.