Footbridge collapses, 12 Doda villages cut off

Ranjit Thakur

Koti (Doda), April 15

A footbridge in Kota village of Doda district has collapsed due to the recent downpour and landslides, cutting off dozen villages from the district headquarters.

About 15 km from the district headquarters, Koti is a small village in the upper reaches of the district.

On March 29, a large portion of the wooden footbridge collapsed after it was hit by a boulder.

The footbridge was constructed by the Forest Department on Koti Nullah a decade ago. It shortened the distance between Dashnan, Shurgun, Purnote, Udri, Purnote Lower, Basti, Muchal and Koti villages and the district headquarters.

“It has become impossible for us to send our children to school due to the gushing water of the nullah, particularly during rain,” said Abdul Rashid, a resident of Koti village.

Rashid said the movement of the villagers had been curtailed and they were now hoping for the water level in the stream to decrease.

“The bridge is the lifeline for the villagers. We want the government to reconstruct the damaged bridge at the earliest so that we do not have to face hardships,” said sarpanch of Beoli village Abdul Latif.

Villagers said over a dozen wooden footbridges had been washed away in the Dessa area of the district in the past two years but the government had done nothing to repair or reconstruct them.

Additional District Development Commissioner, Doda, Narinder Singh Bali said: “I have no information about the collapsed bridge, but we will take necessary steps for its early restoration.”