Title - A bridge in time saves risky journeys

M. Ganesamurthy, a resident of Ezhil Nagar, often risks his life by walking along railway tracks to reach the nearest bus stop in Korukkupet. He and others who walk on the rail bridge over north Buckingham canal, may soon have a respite for their hazardous journeys, as the Water Resources Department (WRD) proposes to construct small bridges over the waterway.Residents of Ezhil Nagar and MGR Nagar in Korukkupet have to go across the canal to reach Nehru Nagar that connects their areas to other parts of the city. “We don’t have a bus stop in Ezhil Nagar. To avoid walking two or three km along Manali Road, many take the rail bridge. In some instances, students have lost their balance and fallen into the canal,” says Ganesamurthy, a school student.Residents say that for a while, they used the temporary road laid by WRD to construct a retaining wall along the canal. “They have removed the road now and we are back to using the rail bridge,” says S. Jothi, another resident.Asked about the road, an official said, “We created the road across the canal to inspect desilting work and widen the waterway. We had to remove it as it would hinder free flow of water.”WRD has now proposed the building of a bridge at the stretch of the canal near IOC, Korukkupet. The new bridge, 3.5-metre-wide and 40-metre-long, is for pedestrians only and will be constructed in three months at a cost of Rs. 1 crore.

Fishermen of Kattukuppam and Sivanpadai near Ennore, too, have reason to rejoice as WRD plans to build a concrete bridge to connect the fishing hamlets to Ennore creek. For almost two decades now, residents here have been putting up with wooden planks passing for a bridge.

E. Jayapalan of Sivanpadai says, about 600 families depended on the wooden bridge, laid to carry fishing material to Ennore creek. “Whenever it rains, the bridge gets submerged or damaged,” he said.

Officials of WRD say the wooden facility is less than 16 metres wide. Now, the Buckingham canal has been widened to 42 metres. The bridge will help residents of the fishing hamlets carry out their trade without any hassles, they said.