Shortage of labourers stalls construction of Vayarappuzha bridge in Pathanamthitta

Pandalam: The construction of the Vayarappuzha bridge across the Achankovil River, connecting the Pandalam municipality and the Kulanada panchayat, has been stalled due to a shortage of labourers. A majority of the labourers who had been working here were from West Bengal. The workers who had gone to their native places to vote at the recently concluded elections, however, haven’t returned yet. So, the construction work at the site has not been making any progress for a month.

The authorities say that the construction of the pillars could have been completed by now had there been a sufficient supply of labour. The inauguration of the construction of the Vayarappuzha bridge was held in February 2023, while the actual works began in July 2024.

Meanwhile, the authorities had vowed to complete the construction of the bridge in August last year. The project is likely to be further delayed, as a major chunk of the work is yet to be completed.

The authorities had hoped to complete the construction of the pillars by now and open the bridge for traffic within a year. However, an unexpected shortage of labourers has now led to indefinite delays. Labourers had gone to their native places to vote at the Bengal elections and have not returned. The authorities say that the construction works will be resumed as soon as the labourers return.

Future path
The bridge, which is 11 metres wide and 104.4 metres long, would become a major path connecting the Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts once completed. Meanwhile, the bridge is built at a height of 32 metres, taking into account the water levels during the 2018 floods. The construction of the project, approved in 2021, began after former minister Veena George intervened to overcome the obstacles. The mega Vayarappuzha bridge project is being built at a whopping cost of ₹9.38 crore.