Date:30/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/30/stories/2008113051770300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Salem

Rs. 2 crore to construct bridge across Vashishta River

Special Correspondent

To replace causeway between the North and South Manivizhunthan villages

— Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan

Rain havoc: Boulders rolled down from a nearby hill on Steel Plant Road following heavy overnight rain in Salem on Saturday.

SALEM: The State government has sanctioned a sum of Rs. 2 crore to replace the causeway with a bridge across Vashishta River between the North and South Manivizhunthan villages in Attur block.

The causeway connects many villages from the mainland.

Floods

But the recent rain triggered floods in Vasishta River, which eroded the causeway and cut off the villagers of North Manivizhunthan, Sough Manivizhunthan, North Pudur, Muttal, Vasanthapuram, Bharathi Nagar, Gopala Nagar, Sathya Nagar, Komarapalayam and Chandrapuram from the mainland.

These villagers had been requesting the district administration to construct an overbridge instead of the causeway.

Children could not go to schools and return safely, they said and urged the administration to take up the works immediately.

Responding to their pleas, the government sanctioned Rs. 2 crore for the bridge, which, according to District Collector J. Chandrakumar, will be completed in 18 months.

Tanks

The Collector also added that because of the recent rain in the district 35 tanks had received full capacity of water while 20 others were on the verge of accomplishing it.

Fifty tanks received fifty per cent of water while 136 others had 25 per cent of water.

The district also received a rainfall of 538.2 mm in the past 24 hours ending 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Attur recorded the highest rainfall of 106.8 mm, the Collector added.