The man who rebuilt the Pamban Bridge connecting Rameswaram to mainland India, was forgotten by the UPA Government during the centenary celebrations of the 2,340-metre-long bridge.
The function began in style on Tuesday with former President APJ Abdul Kalam and local MlA MH Jawahirullah taking a short trip across the bridge, from Mandapam to Rameswaram, in a special train. However, conspicuous by his absence was Elattuvalapil Sreedharan, the country’s “Metro Man”, who rebuilt the bridge after it was completely destroyed by cyclonic and tidal waves in 1964.
Sources in Sreedharan’s office told The Pioneer that Railway authorities did not extend any invitation to the 81-year-old engineer who is famous for building the Konkan Railway and the Metro rail networks in Kolkata and New Delhi.
However, even as Railway officials ignored Sreedharan during the 100th anniversary celebrations of the Pamban Bridge, people in Kerala honoured the “Metro Man” by publishing his biography with an introduction by Kalam.
“I am grateful to the State of Kerala for giving birth to Sreedharan, a man who succeeded in life through honesty and dedication,” Kalam wrote in his introduction.
Sreedharan’s contribution to the Pamban Bridge can only be understood by learning its history. Built under the supervision of the South Indian Railway Company, the bridge was a major engineering feat in those days as it featured a Scherzer Rolling lift Bridge, which could be lifted up to allow the passage of steamers in the Bay of Bengal.
Tragedy struck on the night of December 23, 1964 when cyclonic and tidal waves destroyed the Pamban Bridge. 300 people were reported to have lost their lives in the tragedy. Though the Railway authorities in New Delhi decided not to rebuild the bridge, in the face of a huge outcry, the Railway Ministry had to retract its decision.
The responsibility of rebuilding the bridge fell on Sreedharan, then a 30-year-old engineer with South Indian Railway. BC Ganguly, then General Manager of Southern Railway, asked Sreedharan to rebuild the devastated bridge within 90 days. Sreedharan reached Mandapam on December 25, 1964 and restored the bridge in 45 days. The bridge was thrown open to traffic on the 46th day.
“It was rebuilt using innovations and new methods. Each and everyone in my team played a crucial role in completing the work. The local fishermen guided and helped us to locate the girders that had been washed away by the cyclone and were lying underneath the sea. The Moplahs from Kozhikode who are experts in lifting heavy materials from the bottom of the sea and transporting them, were a great help. And my own team of engineers and technicians worked overtime to complete the work before the deadline,” Sreedharan said.
While sharing his experiences of restoring the historic Pamban Bridge, Sreedharan had told The Pioneer recently: “Next month they will be observing the centenary of the bridge. They will definitely invite me. You should join me there. We will walk along the bridge and I will explain the salient points about the bridge to you,” he had said with the enthusiasm of a young boy. little did he know then that he would be totally ignored by the Government and the Railways who he served faithfully for decades.
The disrespect shown to Sreedharan upset many former senior officials of Indian Railways. Dr S Kalyanaraman, former Financial Advisor to the Railway Ministry, said it was nothing but absolute insult. “Pamban Bridge is synonymous with Sreedharan. There are Railway institutes abroad which teach modern day engineers about Sreedharan’s accomplishments. No ordinary man could have restored the bridge in such a short time. More than 90 girders of the bridge were retrieved from the bottom of the sea and that itself shows his motivation and wisdom,” said Kalyanaraman.
The Pamban Bridge connected not only Rameswaram, but the island nation of Sri lanka with India. Travellers could buy Chennai to Colombo rail ticket from Egmore Railway Station. The Boat Mail would take them from Chennai to Dhanushkodi Pier from where the passengers would board steamers for a three-and-half-hour journey to Talaimannar in Sri lanka. At Talaimannar the passengers would again board the mail service to Colombo. The Boat Mail was discontinued in 1964 following the destruction of Dhanushkodi pier in the cyclone.