Tamil Nadu - Others   

Public resent halting of repair works on bridge

L. Renganathan

DMK, allies plan protest fast on Tuesday

KARUR: Public resentment over halting the repair works at the damaged portion of the new Amaravathy bridge in Karur town is snowballing by the day. Leave politics behind and make haste to repair the bridge is the common refrain of the travelling public, textile businessmen and other traders.

Forced to travel an extra 10 km to enter or exit Karur town, owing to suspension of all forms of traffic on the bridge whose approach road on one side has been damaged extensively, the public say it was a let down by the authorities in suspending repair works. "When the contractor had promised to repair the damage and allow traffic within days of the mishap, the authorities' act of throwing spanner in the wheel has upset us. The enormous time consumed in travelling to the outer part of the town to enter it is loathsome. Not only time, but also a lot of fuel is wasted by the buses and cars that enter Karur town," says C. Manoharan, a yarn merchant from the Vengamedu area.

While the private firm that holds the lease for the bridge moved in men and material for setting right the damage to the approach road at the Thirumanilayur end, directives from the District Collector and the Municipal Commissioner forced the contractor to suspend the works, pending enquiry "on safety aspects of the bridge".

Issue figures in council meet

The issue figured in the last Karur Municipal Council meeting also.While the authorities could only say that repair work remains suspended pending enquiry on safety aspects, knowledgeable circles claim that it is turning more of a hindrance to the ruling party circles than serving any utility purpose.

Going a step further, local AIADMK politicians fear that any prolonged suspension of traffic on the bridge and the subsequent hassles to the public might definitely eat into any goodwill generated during prompt flood relief.

"Already we fear that the announcement of the liberalised flood relief could lead to troubles if not implemented properly. And now any delay in resumption of traffic on the bridge would only hasten the evaporation of goodwill. Hope the high command comes to know of the situation sooner," they confide.

Not without reason that they say this, as the Karur MP, K.C. Palanisamy, after visiting the damaged bridge on Sunday told the media that the Union Surface Transport Minister, T.R. Baalu, avoided visiting the bridge, as it would deepen the controversy. "We don't want to politicise the issue any further. My plea to the Chief Minister is to allow traffic on the bridge after immediate repair works. End the hassles for the Karur public," he openly stated.

Meanwhile, the DMK and its allies are planning a protest fast on Tuesday demanding immediate resumption of repair works and expediting resumption of traffic on the Amaravathy bridge, trying to steal the thunder from the AIADMK.

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