Title - ‘Havelock Bridge should be declared a heritage spot’

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) on Sunday demanded that the Central government declare the historic Havelock Bridge across river Godavari in Rajahmundry as a ‘heritage spot’. It took strong objection to the Railway Board’s proposal to sell it as scrap and appealed to local public representatives to take the initiative to protect the marvel of British engineers.A team of INTACH members led by M. Vedakumar, co-convener of the organisation, visited the Havelock Bridge on Sunday and spoke to media persons on the proposal of the Railway Board, keeping it in abeyance, demanding Rs.67 crore by South Central Railway General Manager. It has to be recalled that over the years, INTACH has taken up the restoration and protection of hundreds of monuments that fall outside the coverage of the Archaeological Survey of India and other government agencies and at times, local authorities hand over the upkeep and restoration of heritage structures to INTACH directly.Mr. Vedakumar said that the Railway General Manager or Board should first speak to local representatives and also address the concerns of the public in this region.He said that if this bridge is handed over to the State government as a monument or heritage spot and in turn it is converted into a footbridge, it will serve for another 200 years. “This is a marvel of British engineers and their technology. The future engineers of the country have a lot to learn from this construction,” he added.

The INTACH co-convener said that it is the responsibility of the local MP, MLA and other public representatives to push the matter effectively with governments and see that the bridge is declared a heritage structure.

This is a marvel of British engineers and their technology

M. Vedakumar

INTACH co-convenor