Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (MS)
Kundapur, Apr 16: The long cherished dream of Hattikudru-Basrur connecting bridge will get realized soon. The work is complete and only the connection work is pending.
The distance between Basrur and Hattikudru is just 100 meters. Hattikudru has 250 to 350 houses and around 3,000 people live in this village which is prosperous in nature. But the four months of monsoon is like an adventure for these villagers. Boat is the only option for Hattikudru residents during monsoon as they live on an Island. The villagers have to cross the Halady rivulet every day in order to reach Basrur.
Around 150 to 170 students cross the Halady rivulet every day in boats in order to reach their schools in Basrur. However, during monsoon if the downpour is heavy, these students have to invariably absent themselves from schools as they cannot cross the rivulet. In addition, coolie workers and traders depend on Basrur for most of their work and business. So boat rides are a daily routine for them.
Villagers of Hattikudru depend on Basrur for all their daily needs. For ration and hospital also they have to visit Basrur. A connecting bridge was built in 2004 between Hattiangadi and Hattikudru, which was an Island till then. However, villagers of Hattikudru had to go to Hattiangadi and via Kundapur had to reach Basrur.
Many appeals were sent to the government to construct a direct bridge between Hattikudru and Basrur. The local MLA also put in lots of effort. Pratap Chandra Shetty, former chairman of legislative council, took special interest in the matter and got the grant sanctioned for building Basrur-Hattikudru bridge through Karnataka Irrigation Corporation. Now the bridge is being built at a cost of Rs 19.49 crore. The bridge is 330 meter in length.