MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court recently directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to earmark a portion of a bridge constructed across the Kannadiyan channel near Thimmaraja Samudram village in 2009 as a pedestrian pathway to enable villagers to cross over the channel.
A bench of justices Anita Sumanth and C Kumarappan gave the direction based on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by K M Mariappan, a villager, against the PWD’s decision to demolish an old bridge constructed across the channel over 80 years ago.
Mariappan stated that the villagers need to cross the above channel to reach schools, colleges, the government hospital, the railway station, and the court, which is situated in Kallidaikurichi and Ambasamudram. While the second bridge, which was constructed at a higher level, was used for vehicle movement, the old bridge was being used as a pedestrian pathway. Claiming that the authorities were planning to demolish the old bridge, he moved the court.
The government counsel contended that as the channel is going to be deepened, it could cause flooding of the old bridge and could consequently spread to the nearby areas. Hence, without demolishing the old bridge, the said development works cannot be carried out, he further said, adding that the old bridge is presently unfit to even carry pedestrians.
To strike a balance, the judges decided that while they would not interfere with the government’s policy matter, the safety and welfare of the villagers should also not be compromised. They directed the PWD and Tirunelveli authorities to earmark a pathway with proper barricades on one side of the second bridge to a width of at least 2.5 feet to enable pedestrians, especially the school students and the elderly, to have safe access to the other side of the channel despite the flow of vehicular traffic, before October 17.
The ideal situation would be for a separate bridge to be built to carry pedestrian traffic, and this may be considered as an option, long-term, they observed and adjourned the matter.
