Silvester D'Souza

Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Jul 24: Accidents continue to take away lives of people using narrow wooden footbridges. Although providing bridges to people who have no other go but to cross rivers, rivulets and canals, needs to be undertaken on high priority, this sector does not get the attention it deserves. If the leaders, instead of condoling and expressing grief after accidents consume lives, had worked to sanction bridges, these lives would have been saved.

The footbridge between Ajri-Chonamane in the taluk is one such example. This footbridge has been laid across River Kubja which flows with full force among forest region. Lord Shaneeshwara temple is also located on the other end of the bridge, and the devotees coming from different places to offer worship at this temple find crossing this footbridge to be a challenging task.

In many places at the foot of the Western Ghats, rivulets flow at full force because of the gradient. Boulders are heaped at the middle of the river, after which poles are planted in it. Then areca nut stems are placed across the banks duly supported by this pillar. Temporary guards are provided for these bridges. Erection of each of these makeshift footbridges takes 15 to 20 days time. However, when rivers are in spate or draught of the water is strong, these footbridges sometimes crash to the ground and get washed away.

The demand for a proper bridge at Chonamane is pending since long. It is said that survey had also been conducted long back for the bridge. The people, who believe that a proper bridge will soon be built, continue their wavering journey on the footbridge, with uncertainty about safely reaching their homes lingering behind their minds.

After the said temple was built at Chonamane, this region has seen lot of progress. A number of auto rickshaws move about, as people from far off places come here. However, for all these people, there is no other go but to do the balancing act on this precarious footbridge during the period between June and December. Even after the water level recedes, the people continue to struggle because they have to get down steep cliff to the bank of the river, and climb the hillock again after crossing it. So, there is no respite from these problems.

This time around, the location of the footbridge has been changed, because of the frightening force of the river at the previous point. Support of trees has been used for the footbridge now, but even this poses challenge for those who move about during the night time, and also the children, aged people and the sick. The concerned need to make note of this problem urgently and seriously.

The people' representatives and government should pay attention to the problems faced by people living in remote hamlets at least occasionally. The people living here want the government to act before a tragedy like the recent Vismaya case which occurred at Maranakatte in the taluk, and construct a bridge, duly setting aside problems and impediments they may face in doing so.

A villager, Timmanna, confesses that he finds it fearsome to use this bridge. He admits that he has therefore decided to take a detour of seven miles by walk. But he has problem walking because of leg pain, but rues the fact that he has no other go but to go through this ordeal as he has to reach his home every day.

Sridhar Theerthalli asserts that a regular bridge is immediately required for this place. He too feels intimidated at the sight of this precariously placed bridge. He wonders how the aged and ill people cross this bridge.