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With the decease of Tamil movie shaper K. Rajan connected Sunday, the Thiru. Vi. Ka. Bridge, besides known arsenic the Adyar Bridge, has erstwhile again travel nether focus, prompting authorities to measurement up measures to forestall repeated suicides. The constabulary and unit from the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) proceed to look challenges successful responding to the predominant incidents reported from the bridge.
The constabulary said that wrong minutes of receiving accusation astir immoderate specified incident, teams are mobilised and the TNFRS unit are alerted. Officials said they had received predominant exigency calls from the span implicit the past fewer months. In immoderate cases, intoxicated persons person besides accidentally fallen oregon attempted to leap from the bridge, posing further challenges to rescue teams.
“A fewer months ago, a drunk antheral climbed down the embankment and was astir to leap into the river. Our personnel, on with the TNFRS staff, managed to forestall the attempt. It is highly hard to halt radical with suicidal tendencies, arsenic galore get with a predetermined mindset. During patrols, we intimately show suspicious movements and bash not let radical to beryllium adjacent the parapet partition of the bridge,” a elder constabulary serviceman said.
“We look important challenges successful handling specified cases, and it is not imaginable to defender the span circular the clock. A fewer days ago, a 75-year-old erstwhile elder enforcement of a bundle institution was seen walking astir the span earlier abruptly jumping into the river. His assemblage was recovered connected the seashore 2 days later. Many radical travel present for a locomotion and abruptly instrumentality the utmost step,” the serviceman added.
The span falls nether the jurisdiction of 3 constabulary stations — Abiramapuram, Adyar and Shastri Nagar constabulary stations. Officers said determination are usually nary jurisdictional issues successful responding swiftly to distress calls. Police person suggested that civic authorities instal barriers, rise the parapet walls, oregon adhd protective netting to forestall termination attempts. The span is besides nether CCTV surveillance.
Personnel from the Fire and Rescue Services said they look sizeable trouble successful retrieving bodies from beneath the bridge, arsenic galore stay trapped successful muddy oregon heavy portions of the river. Teams from the Mylapore oregon Saidapet occurrence stations are usually deployed with boats and divers for rescue and betterment operations.
“Several months ago, a 75-year-old antheral jumped into the stream but managed to clasp connected to 1 of the span pillars. We climbed down utilizing ladders and ropes and rescued him earlier handing him implicit to the police. However, helium refused to uncover the crushed down his decision,” a occurrence work serviceman said.
Another serviceman said tracing bodies successful the Adyar stream is often hard due to the fact that of tidal backwaters and muddy conditions. “If the assemblage remains successful the h2o for a longer duration, it enters an precocious signifier of decomposition, making retrieval much difficult. Foul odour from some the h2o and the assemblage besides poses challenges during operations,” the serviceman said.
Similar incidents of radical jumping from bridges person besides been reported successful caller years from the Periyar Bridge and the Napier Bridge.
Lakshmi Vijayakumar, psychiatrist and laminitis of the SNEHA, said jumping from bridges arsenic a method of termination has been observed worldwide. Certain bridges go identified arsenic termination hotspots mostly due to the fact that of repeated media attraction and sensationalised reporting. Detailed sum of specified incidents tin power susceptible individuals oregon those already contemplating suicide.
“Many bridges and flyovers crossed the satellite person witnessed specified incidents. Suicidal behaviour is often preceded by prolonged rumination and planning. Once a idiosyncratic fixates connected a peculiar determination oregon method, it becomes hard to change that mindset oregon divert them elsewhere,” she said.
In Chennai too, the Kotturpuram Bridge gained nationalist attraction aft the decease of Carnatic vocalist Nithyashree Mahadevan’s hubby successful 2012. Over the adjacent 3 years, 11 radical died by termination aft jumping from the bridge.
“Alarmed by the trend, I met the past Chennai Corporation Commissioner Vikram Kapur and shared technological studies and recommendations issued by the World Health Organization. I besides projected an aesthetically designed obstruction to amended information connected the bridge. However, the execution did not spell arsenic planned. The parapet partition of the span was raised successful a mode that obstructed the presumption of the Adyar river. Despite that, the involution proved effective. Since 2014, lone 1 specified incidental has been reported there,” Dr. Lakshmi said.
She added that installing barriers and improving span information are among the termination prevention measures recommended by the World Health Organization. Experts accidental specified measures tin beryllium implemented without affecting the aesthetics of a location.
“For instance, astatine the Golden Gate Bridge, exigency telephone boxes were installed with messages encouraging radical experiencing suicidal thoughts to question help. Many individuals reportedly utilized those telephone boxes for assistance. Authorities aboriginal installed protective netting beneath the span alternatively of erecting disposable barriers,” she said.
“In Chennai, akin preventive designs tin beryllium adopted for bridges crossed the Adyar stream without compromising their appearance. Aesthetically designed pillars oregon protective structures that blend with the architecture tin assistance forestall termination attempts. Similar interventions person been introduced astatine suicide-prone bridges successful the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, including the Clifton Suspension Bridge, wherever specified measures person helped trim termination rates,” Dr. Lakshmi added.
Following the caller termination incidents astatine the Thiru. Vi. Ka Bridge, a elder authoritative of the Greater Chennai Corporation said a gathering had been convened to sermon preventive infrastructure measures.
“Officials deliberated connected carnal interventions and assessed the structural stableness of the span to find whether modifications specified arsenic expanding the tallness and spot of the barriers could beryllium safely implemented. Proposals for betterment are being prepared based connected the assessment,” the authoritative said.
(With inputs from R. Aishwaryaa)
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is disposable connected the State’s wellness helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416. and Sneha’s termination prevention helpline 044-24640050)
