Villagers join hands to set up wooden bridge over Tirthan river for third time

In a remarkable display of community spirit and resilience, villagers of Kandi Dhar panchayat in the Tirthan valley of Banjar subdivision in Kullu district have constructed a temporary wooden bridge over the Tirthan river for the third time, on their own. The original bridge was destroyed in flashfloods.

The original iron pedestrian bridge, connecting Baridropa to Jawal, was partially damaged in the devastating flashfloods of 2023. While the central span of the bridge remained intact, its one end was washed away after the river altered its course. Since then, the bridge has not been properly repaired, leaving residents with no safe crossing point.

However, the villagers first built a makeshift wooden bridge at the damaged end, allowing basic movement across the river. But this temporary structure was washed away again due to heavy floods on August 13 this year. Undeterred, the villagers again came together to reconstruct it but floods destroyed it again.

Now, for the third time, without any financial or material support from the government, the villagers have rebuilt the temporary wooden bridge through sheer hard work, cooperation and community spirit. Working for days using locally-available resources, the villagers erected the bridge to ensure continued access for hundreds of residents, students, tourists and workers, who rely on this route every day.

The bridge is a critical connection point between multiple remote villages and tourist spots across the Tirthan river in Banjar subdivision of Kullu district.

Area residents alleged that despite repeated appeals to the district administration and the state government, no permanent solution to the problem had been provided. They said that all their appeals had fallen on deaf ears. The issue had been raised several times during official programmes, including the “Sarkar Gaon Ke Dwar” (government on your doorsteps) initiative, but there had been no ground-level response.

Local leaders and residents contributed and worked tirelessly and selflessly to have in place a temporary bridge. The recurring destruction of this makeshift bridge poses a constant threat to the safety of schoolchildren, locals and tourists.

They have now renewed their call to the district administration and the state government to sanction and construct a durable, high-quality permanent bridge at the site to prevent future loss of life and property.

Until then, the people of the Tirthan valley continue to rely on their own strength, unity and determination, a testament to their resilience in the face of neglect.