Five-year wait for footbridge at Arbi continues

The Arbi footbridge. connecting Aanegudde and Valpadi villages in Moodbidri taluk, collapsed five years ago. Yet no step has been taken to construct a new bridge.

There are 80 houses on both sides of the Arbi rivulet. The residents are depending on the footbridge to cross the overflowing rivulet during the rainy season.

The connectivity between the two villages has been affected by the collapse of the bridge. Without the bridge, the villagers have to traverse through an alternative route to reach the main road.

The Valpady Garadi is known for its annual fair and special ‘Sankramana’ festivities in the Hindu month of Shravana, which are attended by a large number of devotees.

The lack of a footbridge is causing inconvenience to the devotees visiting the Garadi.

The villagers said, “When the water level is low, we can walk in the rivulet in summer. It is impossible to cross the rivulet when it is overflowing during monsoon.”

Local farmer Shyam Hegde said, “The lack of a footbridge is affecting us a lot. Farming activities have been affected as we find it difficult to carry farm produce for sale. The footbridge should be constructed at the earliest.”

The Watershed Department had constructed a footbridge seven years ago. However, it was washed away in the flood.

The villagers have submitted petitions to the Shirthadi Gram Panchayat, the local MLA and the MP. Responding to the plea, then MLA Abhayachandra Jain had sanctioned Rs 10 lakh for the work on the
footbridge. Alleging that the fund was not sufficient, the villagers had staged a protest and the money was returned without being utilised for the purpose.

Now, local MLA Umanath Kotian and MP Nalin Kumar Kateel have visited the spot and promised to ensure the construction of a new bridge.

A special ‘Kola’ is held on the ‘Sankramana’ in the month of Shravana at Valpadi Garadi. This year, it is not being observed due to heavy rain.