The engineers of the Indian Army did the country proud by laying an 85 feet long Bailey Bridge in just 36 hours, a record feat by any standard, in Wayanad district of Kerala on Thursday. This was achieved by 6 PM on Thursday despite heavy rainfall and uncertain weather conditions. An Army jeep made the first trip along the bridge as onlookers raised “Jai Jawan” slogans. The completion of the bridge would speed up the rescue operations in the disaster affected region as there are no roads worth the name in the district thanks to the Public Works Department of the State. 

Members of the National Disaster Response Team and soldiers of the Indian Army, who have proved their mettle and expertise in handling some of the worst mishaps are finding it tough to work in the post-disaster landscapes in Wayanad district in Kerala. Incessant rains, fallen trees and dilapidated roads have made it a challenging task to lay the Bailey Bridge and maneuver heavy machinery meant for removing the obstacles from the thoroughfares, according to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Briefing the media after an interaction with commanders of the Indian army units  who have been working 24X7 for the last three days,

Vijayan said it would take many more days to clear the debris generated by the landslides. “The completion of the Bailey Bridge by this evening would speed up the rescue and relief operations. Since there are no means to take the heavy machinery to cut and remove the trees and boulders, the rescue staff were finding  the going tough,” the chief minister said.

K Rajan, revenue minister and rated as the best minister in the present government,  said that dead bodies were recovered from Chaliyar river at Pothukal (in Malappuram district). “This shows the huge impact of this incident,” said the minister. The Pothukal area of Chaliyar River is around eight kilometres from Mundakkai.