By Hatshini Brahmavar
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (MS)
Udupi, Jul 31: The demand for a foot overbridge for the villagers of Mattavu village of Hebri taluk in the district, which is placed with the government 40 years ago, remains unfulfilled. Officials and people representatives are showing utter negligence towards the rural areas of Udupi district.
Though the administration is not bothered, people are taking risk to live their lives. They have to cross the rivulet to reach the other side for their daily needs and livelihood. They have built a wooden foot overbridge, which is unsafe. During monsoon, the foot overbridge gets washed away in the rivulet.
Around 11 Malekudiya families live in the Mattavu village. They all go to Karkala, Hebri and other places to make a living. Crossing the rivulet is a everyday risk that these people take due to the apathy of the administration.
If people of Mattavu fall sick in the night only God has to come to their rescue as ambulance drivers also refuse to come through the forest route. It is not possible to bring the vehicle on the wooden foot overbridge. There are instances when the sick people have succumbed as they were being carried on the wooden bridge to reach the ambulance parked on the other side.
Another issue of this village is that the naxals had exploded a land bomb 17 years ago indirectly supporting the villagers demand for a bridge. Later, when the naxal activities were at its peak, Hebri, Nadpalu and Kabbinale villagers were identified as naxal-affected areas.
Sathish Gowda, Mudradi gram panchayat member says, “We had placed the demand for a bridge decades ago. But due to objections raised by the forest department it is getting delayed.”
Forest officers say, “We submitted a proposal a year ago for the construction of a foot overbridge. At present, the file is with state wildlife department. Permission is yet to be granted which is presided over by the CM.”
In the last 40 years several DCs have donned the district administration office in Udupi. All of them have given assurances of building a foot overbridge but have never done it practically. People’s representatives do not have any interest in it either. It seems that the small communities living in villages like this are not considered as part of the society. Concerned officials have to take quick action on the subject.