RAMANGULI, ANKOLA : After the hanging bridge got washed away in the recent floods, villagers of Kalleshwar, Heggar and surrounding areas are forced to depend on boat to reach Ramanaguli and Ankola towns. Following the heavy rainfall in Western Ghats, Gangavali river in Ankola taluk overflowed and destroyed hundreds of houses and thousands of acres of horticulture and agriculture fields.
The current of the water was so strong that a couple of hanging bridges, including Ramanguli bridge, were washed away. Kalleshwar, Kammani, Halavalli, Vaidya Heggar, Kanakanahalli and other villages were using Ramanguli hanging bridge to reach their taluk headquarters Ankola.
With the collapse of the bridge, they have to cross the river using a boat. Otherwise, they have to travel over 50 km to reach Ankola by road and the condition of the road has turned pathetic. SG Hegde, a resident of Kalleshwar, said it is very risky to cross the fast-flowing river in a boat. “People, including women, schoolchildren and others cross the river risking their lives. If a hanging bridge or a permanent bridge is constructed here, it will help hundreds of people reach Ankola and Gullapur,” he added.