A month-long celebration of the picturesque Pamban rail bridge was inaugurated by former President A P J Abdul Kalam on Tuesday.On February 24, the bridge will complete one hundred years of service.
Kalam recalled fond memories of the bridge during his childhood days. He said he took a train to Pamban junction from Mandapam just to hear the whistle of a train, which he called ‘divine music’. “The bridge has become a part and parcel of everyone’s life on this island,” Kalam said, while praising Southern Railway for maintaining the bridge well in spite of a highly corrosive environment. Last year, when a barge rammed the bridge, the railways managed to restore it in seven days.
“The bridge was instrumental in connecting lakhs and lakhs of people with the island,” Kalam said.
Among the officials present were Southern Railway general manager Rakesh Mishra, Isro’s Y S Rajan and Ramanathapuram MLA M H Jawahirullah, among others.
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