Pandalam bridge set to be commissioned by November 30.

The new bridge under construction in the palace town of Pandalam as part of the ongoing MC Road development project will be commissioned by November 30, Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran has said.

Reviewing the arrangements for the annual pilgrim season at Pandalam on Friday afternoon, the Minister said the bridge would be kept open for pedestrian traffic from November 15 in view of the beginning of the annual Sabarimala pilgrim season on November 16.

Mr Surendran said the Public Works Department had informed the government that the concreting of the bridge would be held on November 1.

The PWD would repair all the diversion roads in Pandalam, linking the MC Road, before November 15 itself.

District Panchayat president Annapoornadevi said necessary steps would be taken to complete the repair work on the Muttar-Manikantan Althara Road on an emergency basis.

Mr Surendran said said the Police Department would open its control room and out-post at the pilgrims’ base camp at Pandalam from November 15.

The Travancore Devaswom Board president, Prayar Gopalakrishnan, said the board, in consultation with the Pandalam Palace Managing Committee, would prepare a comprehensive plan for the development of the pilgrims’ base camp at Pandalam. He said the TDB had got clearance from the Kerala High Court for constructing a self-contained pilgrim shelter, estimated at Rs.5 crore, at the Pandalam base camp.

The Minister said retiring centres modelled on Yatri Nivas would be constructed at the land attached to major TDB temples on the wayside of the National Highways and pilot projects would be launched at select temples soon. Chittayam Gopakumar, MLA; Ajay Tharayil, M. Raghavan, TDB members; R. Girija, District Collector; and R. Harishankar, Superintendent of Police; were among those who attended the meeting.

THE HINDU