Raj era bridge demolished

Chennai:

A bridge built during the British Raj era in 1880s by the Binny Mills in North Chennai was demolished by Public Works Department as part of improvements of micro and macro drains in and around the city.

PWD officials said the arched bridge made of lime mortar was built by the management for their own utilization and it connected the banks of Otteri Nullah.

The vent of the 15 metre long bridge was small to withstand the flow and posed a hindrance to the free flow of water causing risk to the nearby residential area.

“We requested the Binny Mill management to demolish this bridge along with a steel bridge which blocked the flow of water with vegetation in and around,” a PWD official said.

Both the bridges were demolished based on the request of PWD to Binny Mills authorities at their own cost in order to help the free flow of flood water to Buckingham Canal.

With the demolition of the bridges, the capacity of the Otteri Nullah has increased with widening and deepening of canal. The banks are also protected by side walls, the PWD source said