Rameswaram locals voice concern against unscientific Pamban bridge construction

By P Loganathan
Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) [Inardia], March 27 : islanders at Rameswaram are voicing concerns about the construction of the new Pamban railway bridge as it blocks the Pamban sea currents.
A private construction company has blocked the Pamban Bridge canal by dumping rocks into the sea about a kilometre away from the Mandapam shore. This is dangerous as the Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Mannar pass through this canal at high speeds.
As the Pamban canal is blocked with stones for a distance of one km, water detention can occur that can turn out to be dangerous to the coastal areas of Rameswaram Island. Also, the pillars of the Pamban railway bridge and the road bridge will be adversely affected by the water detention. The Pamban lighthouse is already in a vulnerable condition due to water detention.
The islanders have urged the Central, State Governments, Railway administration, and forest department to inspect the Pamban Canal and take appropriate action to immediately remove the blockade that was thrown into the sea by the IDT Private Construction Company.
Cinathambi a local said, " The construction activity is going in a wrong and dangerous way. This is not a river, heavy currents are passing through this area. The bus bridge and railway bridge is under threat now."
Rameswaram Island has lost 25 sq km of perimeter due to natural calamities in the last 50 years. The coastal areas of Rameswaram Island have also been affected by water detention due to the unnatural activities of some private companies.
The construction of a fish landing site in the Pamban Kundukal area, despite protests from social activists, resulted in water detention up to the Kundukal Vivekananda Mani Mandapam destroying areas where fishermen community lived.