Assam: Public Demands the Repair of a Flood-Damaged Bridge

TAMULPUR: An important bridge on the India- Bhutan border connecting multiple villages was damaged by this year’s floods, but the administration has not taken any initiative to either repair the damaged bridge or to construct a new one.

The important bridge over the Kalanadi River on the Kumarikata -Jalah connecting road was damaged when large amounts of water were released from the neighbouring country during the previous monsoon season. The damages to this bridge were so extensive that it was closed to the public by the authorities.

Following this incident, thousands of people in nearby villages have been having difficulty making it across. Being the dry season now, and the river is almost dry, people are easily crossing over the dried-up river bed and crossing the water. But this won't be a possibility when the monsoons arrive. With the lack of proper infrastructure, they will forced to use risky modes of communication, even for the hundreds of students and senior citizens who need to travel through that route.

Local people have mentioned that over 20 villages in the region depend on this route as their primary road of communication and they have repeatedly approached the authorities to take necessary action to either make repairs or construct a new bridge. But no action has been taken as of now by the authorities regarding the same.

It can be noted that a large number of vehicles are now forced to use the risky route through the riverbed. As dumpers, trucks, tractors, smaller four-wheelers and two-wheelers are forced to use this route, the number of accidents is also on the rise and putting the lives of a large number of people at risk on a daily basis.

The local people have demanded that the administration take steps on an urgent basis to ensure that the project is completed before the next monsoon rains.

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