Decision on Bailey bridge to be taken on July 13

PATHANAMTHITTA: The High-Power Committee on Sabarimala Infrastructure Development will take the crucial decision on the modalities for the erection of the Bailey bridge at Sabarimala at a meeting to be held in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. Talking to ‘Express’, Additional Chief Secretary and chairman of the high-power committee, K Jayakumar, said that the six-member Army team led by Col Muralidharan and Maj Kelkar held discussions with him at Sabarimala on Tuesday on the modalities for the implementation of the Bailey bridge at Sannidhanam for the safe passage of pilgrims. Jayakumar said that the Army team would be ready to start erection of the bridge on September 1 once the Travancore Devaswom Board completed the task of the transportation of the bridge construction materials from Pampa to Sannidhanam. He said that the Army team would transport the construction materials, including the knocked-down bridge items, to Pampa and wanted the TDB to take them to Sannidhanam within a fortnight beginning on August 15.Another important task before the committee and the TDB would be the construction of the approach roads on both sides of the bridge at Malikappuram and the other end at Chandranandan Road, he said. Initially, the TDB estimated project cost of the approach road as Rs 2 crore, he said.  In view of the higher estimated cost, a new alignment for the approach road would be prepared and a decision to this effect would be taken at Wendnesday meeting, he said.  Jayakumar said that the 40-metre Bailey bridge would have a width of 3.5 metres and the estimated cost is Rs 75 lakh. TDB president M Rajagopalan Nair, member K Sicily and special commissioner Panchapakesan were among those present at Sabarimala when the Army engineering team visited the spot.Swami Ayyappan Road: Jayakumar said that high-power committee would take a final decision on the renovation of the Pampa-Marakoottam Swami Ayyappan Road to make the road motorable before the next Sabarimala season. He said that the Subramaniyomn Trust had expressed its willingness to undertake the task by agreeing to sponsor the Rs 1-crore renovation work.