Nitin Gadkari will be inaugurating Sigandur bridge in Shivamogga district on July 14

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will be inaugurating the bridge constructed across Sharavati backwaters in Sagar taluk on July 14 and with that, the decades-old dream of the local residents will be fulfilled.

The bridge, which was constructed at a cost of over ₹423 crore, will give access to the people residing in the villages of Karuru and Barangi hoblis of Sagar taluk, which lost road connectivity following the construction of Linganmakki reservoir to generate electricity in the 1960s. Apart from the villagers, the devotees visiting Sigandur Chowdeshwari temple at Sigandur will also benefit.

For over 45 years, the residents were dependent on the ferries operated by the Department of Ports and Inland Water Transport. Prior to that, the people were depending on coracles. In a tragic incident, 21 people, including newly-wed couples, died after a boat capsized in the backwater. That incident forced the authorities to provide ferries.

The ferries that carry people and vehicles operate only during the daytime. There was no way to carry people to the taluk centre during emergency at night. The alternative route takes long hours to reach the destination.

The residents have been demanding a bridge so that they can commute easily all through the day. Elected representatives and residents staged protests and took out padayatra to put pressure on the government to take up the construction of the bridge.

In the recent decades, people visiting Chowdeshwari temple at Sigandur went up. Operating ferries, particularly on the weekends and holidays, became a difficult task considering the increasing number of tourists. Leaders of all political parties played their part in bringing a project to resolve the issue. However, it materialised only in 2018, when Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari laid a foundation stone for the construction of the bridge.

Nitin Gadkari’s visit

As per the tour programme, the Union Minister will travel by a special flight from Nagpur in Maharashtra to Shivamogga. He will reach Shivamogga by 10.45 a.m. and take a helicopter to reach Mangalale near Sagar. He will inaugurate the bridge at Kalasavalli at 12.30 p.m. and later visit Sagar to attend a public function at Nehru Maidan.

MP for Shivamogga B.Y. Raghavendra told reporters that Mr. Gadkari would be inaugurating the bridge and many other works of his department, besides laying the foundation stone for a few other works concerning Shivamogga and other districts.

“It is a historic occasion for the people of Sagar taluk, who gave up their land for the construction of the Linganmakki Dam, and with that, they played a prominent role in generating power for the State,” he said.