PERAMBALUR: Demands have risen to restart work on the bridge connecting Thiruvalandurai in Perambalur district with Keelakalpoondi in Cuddalore district across the Vellaru river, which was announced and suspended during the previous AIADMK government.
Around 1,000 families reside in Thiruvalandurai, who have to cross the river to reach Tholudur in Cuddalore district to access grocery stores, hospitals and banks, as well as schools and colleges. During high tide, the villagers are often forced to travel as much as 16km by road via Kalathur to reach Tholudur.
The AIADMK government in August 2017 had announced it would construct a bridge connecting the two villages at a cost of `14 crore. However, work came to a standstill after the first phase of work. Several petitions were then filed with the District Collectorate, Perambalur MLA M Prabhakaran, and Transport Minister SS Sivasankar demanding that work on the bridge be resumed as quickly as possible.
Marumalarchi Manavar Mandram state deputy secretary and village resident D Tamilarun said, "Keelakalpoondi and Tholudur are close by, and we often have to go there for essential needs. But it's hard to go there during a time of high tide. Even during low tide, it is unsafe to cross the river in the night.
We've held several protests demanding that work on the bridge be resumed. But no action has been taken." P Selvam, another resident, said, "It's high tide in the river right now, and we have to travel 10 kilometres to access essential needs.
So, the government should intervene quickly and finish work on the bridge without delay. This bridge will benefit people of both districts." When contacted, MLA M Prabhakaran told TNIE, "I have submitted a petition to District Collector Sri Venkada Priya to start the bridge works quickly. However, I will look into the issue."