Assam: Bokakhat villagers build Bamboo bridge over Gelabil River

A CORRESPONDENT

BOKAKHAT: Residents of several villages, including Baraikhowa, Gotung, Dhansiri and Nikori under Bokakhat Co-District, have been facing considerable difficulties in commuting due to the absence of a permanent concrete bridge over the Gelabil River.

Despite repeated appeals to the government for the construction of a permanent bridge, no solution has been forthcoming. As a result, villagers have been spending their own money and contributing voluntary labour every year to construct temporary bamboo bridges to facilitate transportation.

Manikamala Patgiri, who has earned widespread public appreciation for her involvement in various social welfare activities, has come forward this year to address the problem. Through financial assistance from her NGO, Manikamala Association, and the voluntary labour of local residents, a bamboo bridge measuring approximately 150 metres in length has been constructed over the Gelabil River.

Although villagers undertake the construction of a temporary bamboo bridge every year through voluntary labour, the structure is washed away by floods, forcing them to rebuild it repeatedly.

Standing at the bridge construction site, the affected residents have appealed to the government to take immediate steps to construct a permanent concrete bridge to resolve the problem once and for all. They have also urged local MLA and Cabinet Minister Atul Bora to give serious attention to their long-standing hardship and take the necessary steps to ensure a permanent solution.