Locals carry auto rickshaw on shoulders after key bridge washed away in Udhampur village

Residents of Bant village in Udhampur are facing severe hardships after a crucial bridge was washed away due to heavy rains. With no alternative means of transport, locals were seen carrying an auto rickshaw on their shoulders to cross the swollen river.

Des Raj, a resident of the village, lamented the loss of the bridge, which was constructed just ten years ago. He urged the government to take immediate action to restore connectivity.

“In only 10 years since its construction, this bridge has been washed away by heavy rains. We have approached every government department, met the Deputy Commissioner, and even appealed to the local MLA, but no one has responded. We urge the government to restore this vital link. Children and sick people are suffering the most. We have no transportation options. It takes us four hours on foot to reach Samaroli,” Raj said.

Another local expressed frustration over the lack of assistance from authorities. “School children and sick people have to be carried across the river, which is very deep and dangerous. No department has come to help us. It’s scary to cross, but we have no choice,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Bhaderwah region has also witnessed an unprecedented downturn. Popular tourist spots remain deserted due to natural calamities such as cloudbursts and flash floods, as well as recent militant attacks.

Local residents, who rely heavily on tourism for their livelihoods, are appealing to the government for intervention to revive the sector.

Yasir, a local worker in the tourism industry, shared his concerns: “I’ve been working in tourism for the past 8-10 years, and I have never seen conditions this bad. Over the last two years, the situation has become dire. After the Pahalgam attack, tourists stopped coming for two and a half months. When the summer season returned, only 30 percent of usual tourists visited. Then the cloudbursts and flash floods in Kishtwar caused further losses. Now, hardly anyone wants to visit.”

He also called on the local MLA to raise Bhaderwah’s tourism concerns in the Assembly and to organize festivals that could attract visitors. “The issue of tourism must be addressed in the Assembly. I also request the government to organize a festival here to draw people and revive tourism,” Yasir said.