Rodong Khola’s precarious bridge claims one

SUBASH RAI

GANGTOK: The pedestrian bridge across Rodong Khola under Rey GPU here below Gangtok, in a typically pathetic condition, claimed the life of a young boy on Sunday. This 50-metre suspension bridge is in abject disrepair, as the accompanying photograph proves, and on Sunday a young lad took a fatal fall from it. The bridge lies on a pedestrian shortcut for the villages of Rey, Mindu and Sajong to reach Adam Pool.
The condition of the bridge is so dangerous that villagers who need to use it, choose instead to ford the khola below. But now with the monsoons approaching, the Rodong khola will become impossible to walk across and the bridge will remain the only option; an option which scares everyone here, especially parents whose children need to use it on a daily basis to reach school.

The unfortunate incident of Sunday has disturbed everyone even more, but it is unlikely that the Rural Development & Management Department, under whose charge the bridge comes, will be moved to do anything about it.
The bridge has, after all, been in this precarious state for a while now. A 51-year-old lady, a resident of the nearby village, has been bedridden for the past three months, having broken her thigh bone after falling from the bridge when one of its rotten planks broke away.
“We have repaired this bridge several times ourselves but its present condition is beyond our capacity to repair,” said the husband of the 51-year-old victim.
He also informed that the villagers had requested the concerned authorities several times with a request for repairs but have failed to move them.
“Several people been injured after falling from this bridge in the past, but Sunday’s incident should open the eyes of concerned authorities on the dangers the bridge poses in its present condition,” adds another villager residing near the bridge.
He insisted that the bridge should be immediately closed to avoid further casualties.
This wooden bridge was constructed in 2005 as a substitute for an RCC bridge which was swept away by a massive flood. Ever since, no repair works have been undertaken here. The villagers have nailed fresh logs from time to time, but this is piecemeal and not very secure.
“It will be better for us if the Government sanctioned a steel bridge,” said another villager pointing out that wooden planks rot away too fast.
They also highlighted the urgency of their condition in light of the approaching monsoons.
“Our children have to cross the river everyday to reach their schools. We want an immediate solution to this problem,” said a housewife.