Wednesday, June 21 2006 10:08 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bhadrak (Orissa): Frustrated by the Government's empty promises to build bridges, residents of several villages in Orissa have set an example by seizing the initiative and carrying out the construction themselves.

In March, residents of 13 villages in the coastal district of Balasore built a 182-metre-long and 1.54-metre-wide wooden bridge over the Budhabalang river, ending their decades-old problem of travelling to the district headquarters.

The villagers collected Rs.200,000 to buy wood for the project and constructed the bridge without any help from the government.

Inspired by Balasore's success story, residents of five other villages in neighbouring Bhadrak district too have carried out a similar project.

About 15,000 of them got together, raised funds and worked day and night to erect a wooden bridge on a local river. The work started in early May and was completed in the first week of June.

The residents of Bahabalapur, Singadanasi, Sankarpur, Paramanandapur and Ekadal villages in Bhadrak, about 150 km from here, had trouble crossing the Mantei river in the rainy season to reach Tihidi town.

They had been demanding a bridge for decades but that never materialised despite assurances by local administrations and politicians.

Every year the residents used to erect temporary wooden structures to cross the river. However these used to get damaged or washed away in the rains. "This time we decided to erect a strong bridge so that it would last a long time," village council chief Ram Chandra Majhi told sources.

The villagers collected funds, with each family contributing Rs.200-300.

A male member from each family volunteered to work on building the bridge. After a month, they came up with the 151-metre-long, 1.54-metre-wide and 9-metre-high wooden bridge.

"The total amount we spent on the bridge would be roughly Rs.600,000," said Majhi.

"We had been requesting the district authorities and local leaders to construct a bridge but they didn't bother," said Harihar Rout, a villager.

The villages, surrounded by Mantei and Dhala rivers, had remained cut off from Tihidi town for decades. With government officials rarely visiting these areas, people did not get benefits of welfare schemes.

"Politicians promised us a bridge at every election. The foundation stone was laid twice but no work was done. The situation turned worse during rainy seasons with the rivers in spate. We had to store food in advance," said Rabindra Mallick, another villagers.

Now the district administration appreciates the villagers' endeavour. "These villagers have set an exemplary initiative by erecting the bridge with their own funds," remarked a senior official, Prafulla Mohapatra.