After 36 hours’ tireless efforts, the works department of Travancore Devaswom Board on Sunday restored vehicular traffic on the Pampa-Triveni bridge that had remained submerged under 3-4 ft thick sand deposit following the recent floods.
The floodwaters had cut off Sabarimala and the eastern parts of the Pampa on the east bank of the river from the mainland on the western side following the submergence of both the bridges across the Pampa.
When the floodwaters receded, the bridge at Pampa-Triveni was found buried in thick deposits of sand while the foot-overbridge had been damaged and covered with giant trees that were uprooted in the landslips.
The TDB engineering wing at Sabarimala, headed by V. Sankaran Potti, chief engineer, and Ajith Kumar, executive engineer, had launched the Herculean task to restore vehicular traffic on the Triveni Bridge as the government agencies had failed to make necessary arrangements to restore transport facility across the Pampa.
The TDB team led by K. Hareeshkumar, assistant engineer, began clearing the thick sand deposit over Triveni Bridge and the debris of various steel structures from the riverbed on Saturday afternoon.
Mr. Hareeshkumar said restoring the original course of the Pampa was a hectic task and they could complete the job after round-the-clock efforts. The TDB team has constructed a bund, using sandbags and large stones collected from the riverbed, at Triveni from where the river was found to have changed its course.
The TDB team led by Mr. Hareeshkumar crossed the restored Triveni Bridge in a tractor to reach the Maha Ganapati Temple premises on Sunday afternoon.
With this, passage to the Sabarimala Sannidhanam has been opened and the pilgrims can reach the Ayyappa temple without any hurdle from the next monthly puja period. Chief architect of the Chennai-based consultants of the Sabarimala master plan M. Mahesh accompanied the Chief Engineer to take stock of the situation at Pampa on Sunday.
TDB president A. Padmakumar and K.P. Sankaradas, board member, are expected to visit Pampa on Monday.
