Thiruvananthapuram: The Enathu Bailey bridge constructed by the Indian Army across the Kallada river connecting Enathu and Kulakkada was delaunched on Thursday after it fulfilled its task at a crisis period. The civil RCC bridge at Enathu was renovated and reopened for the public on August 31. The delaunching work was kicked off by a team of 14 experts of Engineers Task Force under the leadership of Lt. Col V. R. Raju and Major Vineeth and will be completed within three-four days.
The Bailey bridge had served the local population for five months. The delaunch ceremony was attended by Brigadier Michael A.J. Fernandez, Station Commander, Pangode Military Station, and Lt. Col P. Damodaran and other dignitaries. The support of the Army in the crisis situation was widely appreciated by the local people and the state government. PWD Minister G. Sudhakaran also expressed his gratitude to the commander of the Trivandrum military station during his interaction.
The RCC bridge across Kallada river, which connects Pathanamithitta and Kollam districts, had been declared unfit for traffic due to the differential settlement of pier number 2 of the bridge. Consequently, the state government requested the ministry of defence for assistance to construct a temporary bridge for a period of one year or till the existing bridge was repaired.
