Udupi: Maravante–Padukone Bridge Remains a Distant Dream for Long Suffering
News & Pics: Aishwarya Beejady
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (RD/CN)
Udupi, Mar 25: “We will make Byndoor constituency, which is the largest in Udupi district, into a model constituency,” said elected people's representative on several occasions, but alas the situation has not changed even now.
Padukone village, which is a remote village in Byndoor constituency, has not seen any development. The residents of Padukone still face the same difficulties as they did decades ago. Although modern facilities have reached every village in India, the residents here are depending on country boats to cross the rivulet. It has been the means of transport for centuries in Padukone village.
The locals have to depend on country boats and risk their lives to reach their destination which is just 200 meters away on the National Highway 17. Even the little children are subjected to these perils to reach their schools. Despite their sufferings for many decades, the state administration has not been moved by their plight. Several pleas of the locals to build a bridge linking Maravante to Padukone has been in vain. The people’s representatives seeking votes from local residents offered assurances of building the
bridge at the earliest, but did not return after the elections. The dream of a bridge seems
to be a distant one.
Nearly 500 to 600 people from Padukone, Hadavu, and Senapura villages, which come under Nada gram panchayat, cross the rivulet on country boats almost daily. The ferry services in Kalinabagilu bring in revenue of Rs 1 lac to the entire Udupi district. The boats are the chief means of transport in Padukone village for centuries. Eight families who operated ferry services still live here. At present, Maravante Varamahaswamy temple authority manages the ferry service in Padukone.
Students pursuing studies in Kundapur or Navunda, daily labourers, and farm hands who have to pay more money to come by a roundabout route usually depend on the boats where they pay just Rs 2 – 3 per trip. A few enlightened locals seek the explanation of the district administration as to why a bridge has not been built despite it bringing in more revenue to the treasury. If one does not want take the ferry, one has to cover a roundabout route of 14 km via Mullikatte to reach Maravante. It’s not economically
viable for the poor and hence they depend on the daily ferry service.
People’s Representatives Lack Will
Local social activist Vishwanath Padukone alleges that it’s owing to the lack of will of people’s representatives that the dream of Padukone – Maravante bridge has not been realized so far. “We have presented memorandums in this regard to the state administration, people’s representatives and village council. All that we got was mere assurances. If the linking bridge is built, it will save the locals from centuries of suffering. Maravante – Padukone bridge will shorten the distance to Kollur and Maranakatte temples. The people’s representatives seeking votes assure us that the building of linking bridge will be included under Pradhan Mantri’s Gram Sadak Yojana and never turn up in the locality once the elections are over”, said Vishwanath Padukone.
The locals urged the district administration and the elected representatives to take concrete steps in building the Maravante – Padukone bridge instead of giving false assurances.