Koppal: The bridge at Kadebagilu, which connects various places such as Alamb, Barengadi, Ondardadi, Aerdadi, Panjalu, and others, collapsed on Wednesday. About 30 forest-dwelling families residing in Malekudi and other forest areas were dependent on this bridge for communication and supplies.
The bridge was constructed around 50 years ago. Now, one of the pillars in the middle of the bridge has collapsed, causing a major inconvenience to the forest dwellers who used to commute through this bridge.
With the bridge collapsed, it has become necessary to construct a new one, without which it would take several kilometres of travel by vehicle to reach their destination.
The forest dwellers would receive supplies and essential goods through vehicles to the Alamb area.
The bridge collapse inevitably led to a big problem for the residents in receiving supplies. Handling urgent situations has also become a challenging task for the people living in this area.
Three years ago, the bridge near Kukkuje collapsed in a similar manner. Subsequently, a new bridge was constructed. At the same time, officials inspected the bridge at Kadabagilu, but no progress was made on the construction of a new bridge.
The Kadebagilu Bridge needs to be reconstructed immediately. The residents of Cheekra Malekudi, Barengadi have urged the authorities to take necessary steps in an organized manner to ensure that there are no disruptions in communication for the forest dwellers.
