Bridge once connected Kochi and Malabar collapses
The 'Cochin Bridge', estimated to be 87 years old, connecting erstwhile Malabar district of Madras Province and the princely State of Cochin, across the Bharathapuzha at Shoranur (presently connecting Palakkad and Thrissur districts of Kerala) collapsed on Wednesday. Since a newly constructed bridge is serving the traffic since 2003, this bridge was closed for traffic and hence no casualty is there.This old bridge started operating first as a Railway bridge and later in a combined form until new railway bridge was constructed. Before the formation of Kerala State, a toll was in operation to check the vehicles as part of liquor prohibition on one side.