Tirupati: Villagers construct temporary bridge across Swarnamukhi River

Tirupati: Necessity is mother of invention, says adage that was proved by the villagers of Kupuchandrapeta and Bhagyanagaram and also good Samaritans from many villages in Tirupati Rural mandal, who aggrieved at the delay in restoring road connectivity, themselves laid a temporary road.

The villagers with the support of some educational institutions and others, mobilised the required materials and saw the temporary road was laid across Swarnamukhi River at Chiguruvada, 5 km from here, resuming the road connectivity to Tirupati city, which remained severed for about 20 days.

Bridges across Swarnamukhi River were washed away at four places, severing the road connectivity between the villages in the mandals of Tirupati Rural, Ramachandrapuram and Chandragiri mandal after the river turned turbulent due to heavy rains coupled with the opening of Kalyani dam gates adding fuel to the flooding of river on November 18.

As these villages in the three mandals heavily depend on the nearest city Tirupati for livelihood, education, health and other purposes, the severing of road connectivity due to the collapse of bridges hit them hard.

Kupuchandrapeta Sarpanch Pipasi, who was one among many locals, instrumental in building the temporary road, said scores of small and marginal farmers are eking livelihood through the sale of vegetables and milk they produce, in the city, while others engaged in construction field like masons, painters, carpenters and also daily wage earners working in the city which was disrupted due to severing of the road connectivity. Moreover, hundreds of students studying in various schools and colleges in the city and employees working in various government and private institution also affected, he added.

Against the backdrop, the villagers after waiting for 20 days decided not to depend on officialdom and took up the restoration and completed it within a day much to the elation of hundreds of people in the villages across Swarnamukhi River, said a youth on condition of anonymity.

Light vehicles including cars, autos, two-wheelers and small luggage vans started moving on the temporary road much to the relief of students attending colleges and schools, employees, small traders, milk and vegetable suppliers and others.