Hundreds of villages residing in two adjacent villagers in the Khambhat taluka of Anand district are completely cut off as a dilapidated bridge constructed over a creek nearly three decades ago had collapsed last month.
Although these villages are just 2 km away from each other, villagers of Pandad and Tarakpur have to walk 15 km in order to commute on daily basis. The two remote villages count for a population of around 4,000.
With only one primary school between the two villages, nearly 150 kids of Tarakpur have to travel in a boat if they want to attend their primary school at Pandad on time. “The only other option our kids have is to walk 15 km on the `nullah’ road. We know taking a boat on this creek is risky but we have no other choice and bureaucrats are not interested in repairing the collapsed bridge,“ said a resident of Tarakpur Kamlesh Parmar.
The bridge which was constructed by the Kharland Development Board in 1980s on wasteland was in dilapidated condition for want of regular maintenance since 2010 as the board itself has closed down.
Last month, the bridge suddenly collapsed in the night, the villagers say , adding that the work to construct two `pucca’ roads connecting the bridge between the two villages has been sanctioned at the cost of Rs 1.5 crore but now the bridge itself has collapsed.
“Not a single officer has visited the spot since the bridge collapsed even as our kids are risking their lives on a daily basis. Our pleas for regular maintenance of the bridge had also fallen to deaf ears,“ said Bhagwat Gohel, Tarakpur’s sarpanch.
Anand district collector Dhaval Patel however told TOI that he has not received any representation from the villagers so far.
Source – Times of India – Ahmedabad – 8th February 2017
