An entire coastal belt is getting ready to celebrate a moment that many residents believed would never come in their lifetime. For the thousands in the coastal villages of Chakkumkadavu, Kothi, Naninamvalappu, and Mukhadar, a long wait is coming to an end. The Kothi Bridge is being inaugurated on Monday. “I am yet to believe the bridge is finally opening,” N.V. Nishad, a resident, says.
A sense of jubilation is palpable with posters and banners hailing political leaders being erected along the road. People are getting ready for a celebration that would have taken place much earlier, at least 15 years ago.
The foundation stone for the bridge was laid in March 1995 and the work was completed in two years. But no vehicle crossed it for 17 long years. Built across the estuary area of the Kallayi river, the bridge never served its purpose, mainly owing to problems in acquiring land for the approach roads. The process was delayed as the authorities failed to reach a consensus on a compensation package for the affected.
“This could be the fist time in the history of the State that a bridge meets with such a strange destiny,” says T.V. Mamukoya, a resident.
Around 200 people were affected by the project, which was meant to facilitate easier access to the city for thousands of people living on the southern bank of the Kallayi river.
The land price was only a few thousand rupees a cent when the work began. It soared to lakhs by the time a settlement formula was reached. “Many like me got only pittance as the calculation was made based on the earlier rates,” said Abdul Salam, whose house was rendered “unliveable” by the bridge.
Many people here have a tearful tale to tell about the bridge, which, at one point, had an iron ladder fixed to it for the use of schoolchildren in the absence of an approach road.
But leaving the hardships and bitter memories behind, the entire coastal belt is getting ready to celebrate.
Minister for Panchayats M.K. Muneer, who was the local MLA then, had presided over the stone-laying ceremony 20 years ago.
Minister for Public Works V.K. Ebrahim Kunju will inaugurate the bridge.
