In December 1964 a cyclone washed away parts of the Pamban bridge, the railway link between the mainland and the island of Rameswaram. The Railways allowed six months to restore it. E. Sreedharan was put in charge, and his superior cut the deadline to three months.
The bridge was back in 46 days. “The three month job of rebuilding a structure which connected Rameshwaram to the mainland was completed in 46 days,” The News Minute wrote. The Railway minister gave Sreedharan an award.