Pics: Abhijith N Kolpe

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Feb 4: The Mularpatna bridge which was 50 year old, was acting as a prominent link between Mangaluru and Bantwal taluks till it suddenly crashed on June 25, 2018. Thereafter, the link was broken, and buses could not ply on this route. People were forced to walk several kilometres by foot to reach their destinations. Their ordeals will soon be a thing of the past, as the new bridge that is being built in place of the old one, is being built briskly. The new bridge is expected to be dedicated to the world by the end of July this year.

Miularpatna bridge was the main connecting bridge between Mangaluru and Bantwal via Ganjimath ankd Kuppepadavu. Buses had stopped plying here after the bridge collapsed. The buses going to Mularpatna from the city via Ganjimath or Kuppepadavu, move via Muttur school and go till the Mularpatna hanging bridge. Thereafter the people have to hire an auto rickshaw to move to Mularpatna mosque or Bantwal. Out of the two KSRTC buses, one is operational but it does not suit the demand of the people. Since the last two and half years, passengers, particularly daily wage workers, have suffered a lot.

A new bridge with an outlay of Rs 13 crore across River Falguni at Mularpatna began in December 2019. Already about 30 to 40 percent works have been completed. Pillars are being erected and the contract has been bagged by a concern which executed the work of a new bridge at Gurpur has undertaken this work. The work will catch up speed in summer. Damodar M K, chief engineer of the contractor company, expects work to finish by July unless any unforeseen circumstances create problems.

PWD Mangaluru division assistant engineer, Sanjeev Kumar, too expects this 178 metre long, ten metres wide bridge to be finished by July this year.