<span style="color: #222222;">The ancient port bridge on the Puducherry coast partially collapsed yesterday early morning. The bridge gave in to high waves as a result of deep depression over the Bay of Bengal.<br />''<br />''The iconic pier was built during the French rule in Pondicherry. After Independence, in 1962, the bridge was extended for about 2 kilometers into the sea. Now due to heavy under current,a length of about 100 meters at the middle of the bridge has collapsed.<br />''<br />''The brigde was used for cargo transportation from the ships anchored in the sea to the shore. Wooded boats were used for this purpose.<br />''<br />''But the bridge had been out of use for the past few decades due to dilapidation. It was abandoned in 2004. At one point, public use was forbidden.<br />''<br />''Meanwhile, the Lieutenant Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, Chief Minister N Rengasamy inspected the site. The LG assured that all efforts would be taken to restore the bridge. </span><br />