Karkala: Villagers' Fate 'Hangs' in Balance as they Await Permanent Bridge
 
Shekar Ajekar
Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (RD/CN)
 
Karkala, Oct 14: Ajekar-Gundame is a tiny village situated three km away from Ajekar, across a rivulet. It is inhabited by about 25 families. It lies disconnected from the rest of the world, except for a rickety makeshift wooden bridge.

That means, if anyone in the village falls seriously sick or passes away, he or she has to be ferried across the hanging bridge, a task not easily achievable.

The village elders have been pleading with the elected representatives and government officers for two decades to lay a permanent bridge, but this has not been realized yet. The wooden beams that support the planks are a nightmare to those who had to go to neighbouring villages for their daily tasks. The rivulet flows heavily during torrential rains, cutting off connectivity to the mainland.
 
Another worry is that the dense forest on the banks of the rivulet could prove to be an ideal hideout for Naxals who are likely to appear in the region and influence the locals to join in their struggle against the government. The remote village lacks basic amenities that can be issues exploited by the Naxals to cause the villagers to revolt.
 
Locals are urging the district administration to construct a bridge in their neighbourhood which can ease their daily hardships, especially during the monsoon. However, so far, nobody seems to be hearing their pleas, or seeing their troubles.