The colonial siren from the 140-year-old Punalur Paper Mills (PPM) at Punalur, near here, which remained silent for more than 28 years, rented the air once again on Friday when Chief Minister Oommen Chandy formally reopened the company.
In his address, Mr. Chandy said he was hopeful that the reopening of PPM would enable Punalur town to regain its past glory. He said the reopening was the result of sincere cooperation between the private sector, the government, trade unions, and the people. He said the problems faced by people who had encroached upon the PPM land during its closure period would be solved through discussions.
Mr. Chandy said efforts were being taken to complete the renovation on the colonial hanging bridge of Punalur at the earliest.
The function was presided over by Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash. Labour Minister Shibu Baby John; N.K. Premachandran, Kodikunnil Suresh and K.N. Balagopal, MPs; K. Raju, MLA, and district panchayat president S. Jayamohan spoke.
