SRIKAKULAM: Getting day-to-day chores done and dropping the children off at school has become a herculean task for villagers of Arakabadra in Itchapuram Mandal, Srikakulam district, owing to the lack of a bridge over the River Bahuda.
Every morning, parents can be seen crossing the river with their children on their shoulders to drop them off at school. Reaching school becomes risky business during the monsoons as the river swells. “We are forced to cross the river on foot through waist-deep water. We carry two pairs of clothes with us, otherwise we are forced to sit in the classroom in wet clothes.
Sometimes, we even have to miss school if the water level in the river rises,” Abhimanyu, a Class 10 student, rued. Arakabadra has a population of 1,200 people and is located on the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB). It is the only Andhra village on the other side of the River Bahuda.
Villagers have to cross river or travel 12 km through Odisha
Villagers have to come to Koligam village for school, livelihood, and health needs. They can either cross the river on foot, through waist-deep water, or travel 12 kms through Odisha.The previous TDP government had sanctioned `13 crore in 2017 to construct a bridge across the river and the present government, too, sanctioned `8.5 crore for the bridge and another `2.5 crore for an approach road. However, the bridge works were stopped, leaving the villagers no other option but to walk for 2 kms through the river. There have been instances of villagers being washed away with sudden release of water from Baghalati Dam, upstream of the village in Odisha.
Speaking to TNIE, Rangala Dharmarao of Arakabadra village said, “We are facing difficulties to reach Ichapuram as the bridge works were stopped. We have to travel at least 12 km through Odisha territory to reach Ichapuram with the absence of the bridge over the river. We have been waiting for the bridge for a decade at least. We are facing problems, especially now as the river is swelling due to heavy rains in Odisha and release of floodwaters from the Baghalati dam.”