Former Mayor and Madurai North MLA V.V. Rajan Chellappa on Tuesday appealed to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami to name two newly constructed bridges in the city after former Chief Ministers Jayalalithaa and M.G. Ramachandran.
Mr. Palaniswami is scheduled to dedicate the two bridges, built at a total cost of ₹30 crore, on May 5 (Friday).
When Mr. Chellappa was the Mayor, the project to demolish two causeways connecting the northern and the southern sides of the city – Arudlosspuram and Arapalayam; Simakkal and Sellur – was taken.
A plan to build high-rise bridges – one 192 metres long and nine metres wide, and the other measuring 324 metres in length and nine metres in width – at a cost of ₹12.40 crore and ₹18 crore respectively was submitted to the State government.
The then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa sanctioned the project. The construction of the bridges was completed within 24 months and they are ready for inauguration now. However, the death of Jayalalithaa in December 2016 stalled their inauguration.
Following the appeal made by Mr. Chellappa to the Chief Minister to name the two bridges after Jayalalithaa and MGR, a few senior AIADMK councillors said that it would be apt to name the bridges after the late leaders.
In the absence of the council in Madurai Corporation, they could not pass any resolution to name the bridges after the late leaders, and only the State government had to take a decision in this matter, officials said.
