Kerala CM inaugurates construction for Perumon bridge in Kollam
Bringing relief to the commuting woes of Kollam’s Munroe Island and Panayam residents, the LDF government on Tuesday inaugurated the construction of the Perumon bridge. This bridge will allow vehicles to travel between the two places. Residents in Munroe Island and Panayam have been depending solely on ferry services to cross the Ashtamudi Lake, which separates the two areas.
“The last LDF government had mooted this project to bring relief to the transportation woes of residents there. But the next UDF government did not intervene to make this a reality,” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote on Facebook, before inaugurating the bridge’s construction.
When the Perumon bridge is complete, the travel distance between Kollam to Munroe Island will reduce by 10 kilometres. “The bridge has been designed by the Public Works Department (PWD) to compliment the beauty of regions of Munroe Island, Perumon and the Ashtamudi Lake,” the CM wrote.
The bridge, which will be 396 metres long and 11.5 metres wide, is being constructed at a cost of Rs 42 crore. These funds have been allotted through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). On the two tails of the bridge, 900-metre-long approach roads will also be built. The CM added that the construction of the bridge will be completed timely.
According to the Chief Minister, the KIIFB has also given sanction for a package to take over land for the construction purpose. The inauguration of the bridge was done as part of the Pinarayi Vijayan’s government’s programme of completing 100 projects in 100 days.
Ashtamudi Lake, across which the bridge will be constructed, is a water body of international importance, having been declared as a Ramsar site. The famous Perumon railway bridge, which witnessed the train tragedy of 1988, lies between Panayam and Munroe Island. 105 people died in the accident, where a Bangalore-Trivandrum Island Express train was derailed, leading to many compartments falling into the lake.
Watch video of CM Pinarayi inaugurating project