Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)
Bantwal, Jun 27: Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday June 26, MLA, Rajesh Naik Ulipady Guthu, said that MP, Nalin Kumar Kateel, who visited the site of the bridge crash on Tuesday morning, has promised to ensure that the construction of new bridge gets financial assistance from NABARD. He said that the MP has promised to see that construction of the bridge would begin after the rainy season.
As the people living in the vicinity will be prominently dependent on the hanging bridge to cross to either side, Naik said that police would be deployed on both sides of the hanging bridge, and it would be ensured that at any point of time, not more than 25 persons use the bridge. He said that alternative road would be created from the highway till the hanging bridge. "PWD will conduct road repairs for the convenience of the people till Nonalu in Muttur and Badagabellur in Bantwal. In the meantime, talks would be held with owners of a private land to allow laying of a road through that land," he explained. The temporary road by the side of the river was repaired on Tuesday by PWD.
Dakshina Kannada district deputy commissioner, Sasikanth Senthil, assistant commissioner, Renuka Prasad, PWD engineer from Mangaluru, Gokuldas, and others also visited the spot to assess the situation.
It is learnt that two buses and a boy who were near the spot just before the bridge snapped escaped from a catastrophe by a whisker. The disappearance of the bridge has hurt students the most who attend primary, high school and composite PU college at Muttur. Most of them came from other side of the river, and because of the bridge, they had no problem attending their educational institutions. Now they will have to reach near the hanging bridge and walk to the other side and take another vehicle from there. On Tuesday, educational institutions in this area had declared holiday as per the instructions of the district administration.
The authorities said that bus services from Mularpatna to B C Road would be available at 7.20, 8.10, 8.40, 9.20, 10, 11.15 pm, 12.45, 1.30, 2, 2.40, 5 and 6 pm. Buses from B C Road to Mularpatna would be available at 7.50, 11.10 am, 1.20, 4.20 and 6.10 pm.