Come rain, lights go off at famed Pamban road bridge

To renovate the bridge the central government had allotted Rs.18 crore in 2015 and as part of renovation works new roads were laid. Similarly all the 214 old bulbs were replaced with LED lights.

Even after installation, LED bulbs on one side of the lamp posts alone were functioning and now after the rain all the lights have stopped burning, turning the bridge a dark pathway in the night. This has turned the night ride on the bridge a scary one for local fishermen and the tourists. Therefore, they seek immediate action from the government.

Patrick, former Panchayat President of Pamban Panchayat, said that in the last three months, road accidents have increased manifold and the new problem has only compounded their woes. “I have never seen or heard of so many accidents in the last 29 years. Fishermen who return late in the night after work are affected badly. Though the number of fishermen who have died is less, many have suffered injuries in the recent accidents, he complained.

Locals had attributed the reason for the increase in accidents to the way the road was laid, a few months before. “The chemicals they have used might be the cause and we had taken it up with the authorities. They did take action but the work is yet to be completed. Adding to our woes now, the lights on the Pamban bridge are not burning ever since the rain began. We have to peer at the road only with the help of headlights of the vehicles,” said Patrick.

This has made travel on the 2.3 km Pamban road bridge, which was inaugurated on October 2, 1988, an arduous one. It is said, that already hundreds of tourists visiting Rameswaram are facing problems such as leakage of drinking water pipes and fire accident in the electricity cables. “Now, with another problem, like dysfunctional lamp posts on the bridge, how do you expect tourists and local fishermen to use the only road connectivity to Rameswaram,” queried members of the Pamban panchayat.

So, officials attached to National Highways department and district administration should take immediate steps to set up solar lamps and arrange for an uninterrupted power supply, demanded Patrick.