Students Seek Bridges to Cut Risk due to Swollen Rivers on Way Home
Residents of low-lying hamlets report that makeshift crossings become impassable during heavy rains.
Adilabad: Schoolchildren from several remote villages in Adilabad district risk drowning or being swept away when crossing swollen streams and rivulets on their way home. With no finished bridges, and many either under construction or stalled, parents and children anxiously wait for floodwaters to recede before attempting the crossing.
Residents of low-lying hamlets report that makeshift crossings become impassable during heavy rains. Atram Kishan Patel of Narsapur (J) says the community has repeatedly appealed for a high-level bridge to ensure safe passage for their children. Ada Dundirao, also from Narsapur (J), echoed these concerns, noting the constant fear as local streams flood.
On Friday evening, following heavy rains in Utnoor mandal, the stream at Danthanpalli overflowed. Students returning from schools in Danthanpalli, Beersaipet, and Utnoor were forced to wait, sometimes over an hour, on the far bank before it was safe to cross back to Narsapur (J).
Khanapur MLA Vedma Bojju has announced plans to build several high-level bridges over this stream and its tributaries. Some bridge projects are already underway in the most remote parts of his constituency to improve connectivity and safety.
However, progress has been hampered by environmental clearances. Forest officials, citing the area’s inclusion in the Kawal Tiger Reserve, have withheld permission for a vital bridge in Narsapur (J). Local leaders accuse the forestry department of blocking essential development, an issue mirrored at Anarpalli in Kerameri mandal. Sheshrao of Anarpalli said the lack of a bridge not only isolates the village but also endangers schoolchildren each monsoon.