Murbad villagers pool resources, construct bridge to cross swollen stream
Residents decided to build a traditional tribal-style bridge at the site. They agreed to collect donations and contribute labor according to their means
Thane: Close on the heels of a 10-year-old boy from Fangulgavhan gram panchayat in Murbad taluka being rescued from drowning, residents have built a makeshift bridge over the stream where the incident occurred last week. Villagers decided to pool resources and construct the bridge themselves after pleading unsuccessfully with various government authorities for over 15 years, they said.
The Fangulgavhan panchayat is situated on the Kalyan-Ahmednagar national highway, at the base of Malshej Ghat in Murbad taluka. It includes three revenue villages and four tribal hamlets with about 2,500 people. The Moroshi Ashram School in the panchayat attracts many tribal students, especially from the hamlets of Fangulgavhan, Sakharwadi, and Nirgudpada. These hamlets are situated about five kilometers away from the school and connected via a rugged trail that crosses a large stream. The stream becomes inundated during the monsoon, endangering the lives of students and commuters.
Last Thursday, as the stream swelled owing to heavy rainfall, a student was swept away before being rescued by locals. The incident prompted residents to hold a meeting on Friday, where they decided to build a traditional tribal-style bridge at the site. They agreed to collect donations and contribute labor according to their means.
“We had been demanding a bridge for over 15 years and were truly fed up with the inaction of the authorities,” said Dilip Shinde, a villager. “All political leaders made tall promises but failed to provide us with a bridge and other basic necessities. So decided to build a bridge on our own.”
{{/usCountry}}“We had been demanding a bridge for over 15 years and were truly fed up with the inaction of the authorities,” said Dilip Shinde, a villager. “All political leaders made tall promises but failed to provide us with a bridge and other basic necessities. So decided to build a bridge on our own.”
{{/usCountry}}Residents of Fangulgavhan collected around ₹40,000 via donations, while the gram panchayat contributed discarded iron for the bridge. “Some of us have a basic idea about building bridges. So we used wooden planks and stones to erect two pillars and added iron rods on them to create a temporary bridge. While not permanent, the bridge ensures that students and villagers crossing the stream are protected from swelling waters,” said Shinde.
{{/usCountry}}Residents of Fangulgavhan collected around ₹40,000 via donations, while the gram panchayat contributed discarded iron for the bridge. “Some of us have a basic idea about building bridges. So we used wooden planks and stones to erect two pillars and added iron rods on them to create a temporary bridge. While not permanent, the bridge ensures that students and villagers crossing the stream are protected from swelling waters,” said Shinde.
{{/usCountry}}The bridge is 35 feet long and 2 feet wide, said village sarpanch Savita Bhalla. “We ideally need a bridge with concrete pillars here as the water flow during the monsoon is very strong, but what option did we have,” said Bhalla.
She said that while the government was spending crores on constructing a glass bridge (skywalk) at Malshej Ghat, it had failed to construct even a simple embankment over streams and nullahs in the area for the past 15 years. “This lack of infrastructure causes significant issues for villagers and hampers children’s access to education,” she noted.
An officer from the Thane Zilla Parishad said the basic work on building a bridge, including finalising measurements, has been completed. “The process was delayed due to revenue issues but work on the bridge will begin soon after the monsoon,” the officer said.
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