Jagdalpur: Four new bridges being built in Chhattigarh's Bastar district has renewed hopes of development among communities cut off by the Indravati river.
The bridges in Bijapur, Sukma, Dantewada and one on the Maharashtra border are the first in 70 years.
The bridges are expected to create access to health facilities among other benefits to the so far untouched backward region in the district.
Read:| Dantewada: 20 rescued after motor boat encounters technical problem
Until now people were deprived of basic necessities and even police were unable to reach the remote areas which gave an advantage to Naxalite rebels operating in the area.
There are around five panchayats across the Indravati river where nearly five thousand people reside.
Each day about 60 people cross the river by boats to reach the city to get their daily needs. During the rainy season, the river gets flooded and cuts off access to the city.
Moving pregnant women and people who require hospital treatment is a huge challenge for the people in the region.
Bastar IG Sundarraj P said the previously constructed two bridges on the Indravati river is called the line of Bastar division. One of them is in Jagdalpur and the other is located in Saat Dhar of Barsoor. Bastar police decided to build a couple of more bridges on the river in Badekarka, Chingnar, Nogur and Sundrin area.
Read:| Maharashtra boat capsize: 2 women drown, 13 rescued
"Construction of one bridge has been completed while the work of the remaining three bridges will be completed by 2022. One bridge on the Indravati river has also been constructed by the Maharashtra government at Timed village in Bhopal Patnam. With this, a total of seven bridges will be operational on the Indravati river shortly. Naxals have attempted to obstruct the construction work multiple times but failed due to tight security," he said.
With the construction of these bridges, over 100 panchayats and more than 20,000 villagers will be connected directly to the urban areas, he added.
Apart from this, nearly six bridges are being constructed on different rivers in the Bijapur district at a cost of Rs 71 crore.
Read:| Chitrakoot waterfall goes dry, Bastar's lifeline faces severe water crisis
