Foundation stone laid for bride

Tiruchi: Speakers at a function conducted on Friday for laying the foundation stone for a bridge across the Coleroon narrated troubles the villagers had to undergo in the past when the river used to have a steady flow for most part of the year.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MLA from Thiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur district, Durai. Chandrasekaran, said that in the absence of a bridge, the DMK chief, M. Karunanidhi, had to swim across the river to reach Tirukatupalli to address a public meeting."The then general secretary of the party, Anbil Dharmalingam, led Mr. Karunanidhi," the MLA said, adding that the incident had left such a lasting memory in Mr. Karunanidhi's mind that the experience finds a mention in his book `Nenjukku neethi.'

The Local Administration Minister, M.K. Stalin, said that immediately after being inducted as PWD Minister in 1967, Mr. Karunanidhi took steps for constructing a bridge in Kulithalai, where he launched his political career a decade earlier."The bridge was constructed in the seventies, after the DMK assumed power in 1967," he said.The Transport Minister, K.N. Nehru, said that although the previous All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagm regime had issued an order for the construction of a new bridge across the Coleroon, no funds were sanctioned.