Indian soldiers help reconstruct Arugam Bay bridge

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 February 2005, 12:03 GMT]
Soldiers of the Indian Army contingent that arrived in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of tsunami disaster have started construction of temporary spans over the partially but heavily damaged Arugam Bay bridge in Amparai district. Multiple spans of a total of 150 feet were destroyed of the 350 feet bridge when the wave struck, engineering sources in Amparai said.

Indian army using heavy machinery and personnel to construct a temporary bridge

Spokesperson of construction crew of the Indian Army told media that 80 soldiers are deployed in the reconstruction the Arugam Bay bridge. He added that ten Sri Lankan Army soldiers are assisting the Indian crew on the construction effort. The bridge will be usable again within three weeks, according to the spokesperson.

The temporary construction is expected to last up to three years if regular maintenance is done. A more permanent structure has to be rebuilt within that time period, the spokesperson said.



The temporary metal frames used to rebuild the destroyed spans were imported from India.

Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala residents of Arugam Bay, Ullai and Panam villages people have been undergoing severe transport difficulties without the use of the bridge. Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has been providing boat service to cross the bridge after the tsunami, civil sources said.



People crossing the bay on boats