5 days ago
Chatra village bridge project gets stuck in bureaucratic limbo
Chatra: The 2,000 residents of Potam village under Hedum panchayat in remote Naxal-hit Lawalong block of Chatra district would have to face transportation hurdles again during the rainy season as their demand for a bridge continues to be ignored.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Govt teams visited the place several times to measure the construction site, but the work never began.
Area residents said that they have been awaiting a bridge over the Thekhi river since independence. Despite survey teams's visit to the site multiple times, around 300 households, including students and workers, are forced to walk 1.5 km daily to access the main road.
"Schoolchildren are forced to navigate a treacherous 1.5 km path through bushes and cross a 300-ft stretch of the rain-fed Thekhi river to reach their school transport," said a villager.
Area resident Somnath Yadav, who has been pursuing bridge construction since 2010, highlighted that 78 years post-Independence, the village lacks basic amenities. "Medical emergencies are particularly challenging, requiring a 1.5 km walk to reach healthcare facilities. During monsoons, residents must take a 10 km detour via Jawari village. Despite repeated surveys and measurements, no concrete action has materialised," he said.
Students Amit Kumar (Std-3) and Bablu Kumar(Std-6) expressed their daily struggle of walking a kilometre to school, emphasising their desire for a bridge.
Hedum panchayat mukhiya Santosh Ram revealed that bridge proposals were approved in gram sabha meetings during 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 fiscal years with requests for DMFT funding sent to district offices. "However, these proposals remain unprocessed," he said.
Lawalong block development officer (BDO) Bipin Bharti said, "I will apprise the district administration to look into the matter and request the officials to take necessary steps."
