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Odisha villagers build bridge over ravine themselves after officials fail to act

Heavy rains in Gajapati district last month washed away the bridge that stood over the ravine. While action was promised, nothing happened and the villagers decided to find a solution for the problem without government help.

Mirror Now Digital

Updated Sep 25, 2022, 23:07 IST

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Berhampur: Tired of waiting for authorities to take action, the residents of Janakpur village in the Gajapati district of Odisha built a bridge over a ravine in the area. The five feet deep ravine is known for its sharp undercurrent as it gets water from the nearby hills and forest, reports said.

Heavy rains in the area last month washed away the bridge that stood over the ravine. While action was promised, nothing happened and the villagers decided to find a solution for the problem without government help, The New Indian Express said in a report.

The ravine, locally called "nullah", connects around 20 villages and hence was vital for the locals, a source told TNIE. Located on the border of the Gajapati and Rayagada districts, the ravine needs to be crossed not only by residents of Janakpur village but commuters from the two districts of the state. The ravine also connects Raipanka with Ladiguda in Guluba panchayat, the daily said.

In a village meeting, the people of Janakpur decided to build a bridge and asked each household to contribute Rs 1,000 to the cause. They collected a sum of Rs 52,000 and successfully built a bridge over the ravine.

In a similar incident earlier this month, the people of a remote village in Jharkhand had built a bridge across a river for themselves. Around 200 villagers pooled money and accomplished the task of making a 200-feet-bridge.

“Most of the things used for building the bridge were already available in abundance. Only ropes, nuts-bolts and nails were bought, for which we pooled in money,” a villager who was part of the effort had told The New Indian Express. Interestingly, the total amount they shelled out by the villagers was not more than Rs, 5000.

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