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Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, November 21
Tired of waiting and done with the false promises of successive governments, residents of Gharthu and Kona villages in the Sullah Assembly constituency have decided to solve their problems on their own. Every year, they collect money and construct a temporary bridge over the Neugal river, which gets washed away during the rainy season.
Sanjay Awasthi, a resident of Gharthu village: “The Neugal cuts off about eight panchayats with a population of about 15,000.”
Despite the fact that Thural college is located just across the river, girls have to cover a distance of about 10-12 kilometres to reach the place.
“If a bridge is constructed, the girls will be able to reach the college in 10 minutes,” he said. The panchayats have been lobbying with successive governments to get a permanent bridge over the river. Sources said during the previous Congress regime, a detailed project report was prepared for the construction of the bridge. However, the proposal was once again dropped after the change of guard.
Mukesh Kumar, a resident of Kona village, said they had been demanding a permanent bridge, but their pleas were never heeded.
The villagers are determined to build the bridge on their own. “Every year, we spend Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 on the bridge and it gets washed away when the river swells,” said a villager.