HC: Bailey Bridge a wasteful expenditure

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday observed that the Bailey bridge at Sabarimala, which was built for the pilgrims, was a ‘wasteful expenditure’ and loss of human effort. “The Bailey bridge was a highly propagated idea and was brought in by the government with a laudable objective. But it remains a wasteful expenditure. This can be rectified only after the present season as any work that is carried out now will only adversely affect the pilgrims,” the court said. A Division Bench comprising Justice Thottathil B Radhakrishnan and Justice M L Joseph Francis made the observation while considering a petition filed by V K Salin, a licensee who has been allotted shops near the Bailey Bridge. In the petition, he had sought a directive to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to provide an alternative space for doing the business. He said that none of the devotees are using the bridge and so there was no business. Salin also submitted that this would land him in a huge financial loss. Though he had given a representation to the TDB there was no response, he submitted.The Madras Engineer Group of the Indian Army had constructed the 40-metre-long, 3.3-metre-wide Bailey Bridge within 25 days with iron girders and other components. Another Licensee Dasan Pillai had earlier approached the court and submitted that the bridge was not being used by the pilgrims.