Street lights on Pamban road bridge defunct for more than a year; vehicle users demand immediate restoration

The dark route of the Pamban road bridge in Ramanthapuram district has turned out to be a nightmare for vehicles passing through the bridge during night hours.

The streetlights on the 1972 built Pamban road bridge have been defunct for more than a one year now. Due to this, the vehicles passing through the road were using only their vehicle’s head light as the source of light.  

“As it is mostly tourists who pass through the road, they are unfamiliar with the road. So, they could not predict the movement of vehicles on the road, which happens to be the main reason for most of the accidents occurring on the bridge,” said, N. Mafroos, a fisherman at Pamban.  

He added that many fish-laden trucks going to and from Rameswaram and Pamban to reach Ramanathapuram had to use that bridge.

“During night times, vehicles sometimes cross paths with other vehicles or hit the wall. But fortunately, serious accidents like vehicles falling off the bridge have not occurred but before that lights have to be installed or repaired,” he noted.  

Another resident of Pamban S. Jawaharahullah, an autorickshaw driver, said he himself had rescued many people who had been struck in accidents on the bridge.  

“Mostly it was bikes that are involved in accidents. Due to the minimum visibility they get from their bike lights, they easily collide with other vehicles or on the wall,” he noted.  

Also, the speed-breakers located before the bridge were another major reason for the accident. As no warning stickers or reflectors were stuck on the speed-breakers, vehicles passing at high speed stumble upon crossing the speed-breakers, he added.  

Mr. Jawaharahullah said that though crores of rupees was spent on the repair works carried out a year before, it has remained incomplete.  

A State Highways Department official said that earlier, as a toll was operated en route to the bridge, a revenue was generated to maintain the bridge.  

“As collecting tolls was stopped for projects below ₹ 100 crore following an order, the toll was removed from the location, so the revenue generation was also stopped,” he noted.  

“Then as it was mandated that the district administration was to maintain the bridge, the highways department approached the panchayat department to allocate the fund for the bridge maintenance, but the officials denied saying the constructions on seas could not be maintained by them,” the official added. 

Due to the confusion prevailing over the maintenance, acting on the recommendation of the State Assurance Committee, a letter has been sent to Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.  

“We expect to get the fund sanctioned in about two months,” the official said.

Published - October 01, 2024 08:07 pm IST