Rabindranath Biswas
Dasarathpur/Diglipur, Nov. 25: The residents of Dasarathpur and its adjoining areas under Dasarathpur Gram Panchayat have been facing severe commuting woes owing to the damaged and closed Bailey bridge at Magar Nallah for the last couple of years.
According to information, the Bailey bridge constructed by the APWD, Rangat is the lifeline for the villagers of Dasarathpur and its adjoining areas under Dasarathpur GP. The said Bailey Bridge after getting severely damaged has been lying closed for more than 5 yrs (since 2019), the residents of the region said. “The bridge was closed by APWD by welding pipes and bars across the entrance to prevent the entry of all kinds of vehicles and owing to which we have to take a long detour to transport our agricultural products” the locals of the area rued. A veteran resident of Dasarathpur said, “It was all right that the Magar Nallah Bailey Bridge was closed for safety reasons; but wasn’t it the responsibility of the concerned department to maintain/repair the bridge and restore it to usable condition? Wouldn’t the authorities acknowledge the plight we have been experiencing owing to the closure of the bridge since 2019?” And since the closure of the Bailey Bridge in question are impacting the daily lives of the residents of the region, the localites said that they are put in a grievous situation in medical emergency due to this damaged and closed bridge.
However, when Andaman Sheekha Daily contacted the Pradhan, GP Dasarathpur and wanted to know more on the matter, the Pradhan admitted that the residents of Dasarathpur and its adjoining areas have been suffering a lot owing to the damaged and closed Bailey Bridge at Magar Nallah. This bridge is the only direct route for the villagers, and its closure has forced them to take alternate and much longer routes, leading to significant hardship, time wastage and frustration. And worst affected are the school going children who have to take a detour through Mithila to reach their school(s) at Sabari; in fact, the link between Dasarathpur and Sabari snapped the day the damaged bridge was closed. Despite repeated representations and appeals by the villagers and elected representatives such as the Pradhan of Dasarathpur, no action has been taken by the administration to reconstruct the bridge, leaving the villagers to fend for themselves for nearly 05 years, she said.
As such, the villagers are deeply disheartened and feel that their genuine concerns are being reportedly ignored. Taking a great exception to the entire matter, a veteran of the area said on condition of anonymity, “The villagers expressed their disappointment over how their pleas for such a crucial infrastructure project have gone unheard and why the A & N Administration is turning a blind eye to their welfare and needs.” The residents, on the other hand, made an earnest request to the A & N Administration for the immediate reconstruction of the Magar Nallah Bailey bridge to eliminate the suffering especially their school going children are undergoing.
