8 yrs after Bhakuna bridge washed away, villagers risk lives on trolley

Bageshwar: Hundreds of residents along the Bageshwar-Pithoragarh border continue to risk their lives while crossing the Ramganga river on a hand-operated trolley, eight years after the Bhakuna bridge was washed away in the 2018 floods.With no bridge in place, villagers built a makeshift wooden ropeway trolley to cross the river. They said successive govts and district authorities have done little despite repeated demands for a permanent bridge.The affected villages — Bhakuna, Palanadhura, Bhalodi, Chetabagar and Kheti in Bageshwar district — depend on the Nachni market in neighbouring Pithoragarh for banking, healthcare, education, postal services, ration supplies and other daily needs, forcing residents to cross the river regularly.Villagers said the trolley is in poor condition, with rusted steel cables and little maintenance over the years. The carriage has to be pulled manually from one bank to the other, making the crossing physically demanding and unsafe, especially during the monsoon.Local residents said two people have died after falling from the trolley since the bridge was washed away, while more than 40 others have been injured while operating or using it.

The risk increases during the rainy season when the river swells, and strong winds lash the valley, they said.Social activist Rakesh Koshyari said residents have petitioned public representatives and govt officials for years. “People are risking their lives every single day because the bridge has remained a neglected promise,” he said.Local folk artist Bhawana Chuphal has appealed to the chief minister to expedite the project.

She said women, children and elderly residents bear the brunt of the hardship. Parents have to accompany schoolchildren across the river every day to ensure they reach school safely, Chuphal said.Bageshwar PWD executive engineer Rishiraj Verma said a motor bridge has been proposed at the site instead of reconstructing the suspension bridge. “The survey has been entrusted to a private agency. The project is proposed to be funded by the World Bank and the survey is currently in progress,” he said.