Railings erected around ruins in Dhanushkodi to preserve them

The railing works are expected to be over before the second death anniversary (July 27) of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the new road to Dhanushkodi on the occasion. 

A thriving port town before 1964, Dhanushkodi is situated in Pamban island. A severe cyclonic storm turned the fate of the town upside down and left it as a ghost town. Now, for years together, the remains of the important structures were the only remnants on the island to be seen. The storm had uprooted the rail and road connectivity from there to the Pamban island too. 

Once the road and rail connectivity were re-established, tourists, who thronged nearby Rameswaram, started visiting Dhanushkodi. But, the connectivity remained skeletal and the journey from Pamban to Dhanushkodi itself was an adventure. Private vans, which cashed on the curiosity of the tourists, made a killing by overcharging them. 

The Centre, to tap the tourism potential of Dhanushkodi, constructed a 9.5 km road from Pamban to the town. It also declared Dhanushkodi as a tourist hotspot and announced various plans to develop the tourism potential of the town. 

“Once the new road is declared open, we expect a lot of people and tourists to visit Dhanushkodi. In order to protect the monuments and the remaining old buildings, we have planned to lay railings,” said an official of Ramanathapuram district administration.  

“The work has been taken as part of the tourism development project and will be completed before July 27, the second death anniversary of Abdul Kalam,” he added. 

“The railings will also prevent the local people from pilfering stones from the ruins away for construction purposes, once the road becomes operational,” he added.  Officials have also decided not to allow any stalls of local fishermen inside the railings.