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Village near Haldwani to get bridge as forestland problem solved
A bridge will soon be constructed to bring relief to people of a village near Haldwani city, which remains cut off when river waters swell during monsoon rains, officials said.
A bridge will soon be constructed to bring relief to people of a village near Haldwani city, which remains cut off when river waters swell during monsoon rains, officials said.
Forestland-related issues held up construction of a bridge on a river flowing near Nakayal village in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district, Garhwal commissioner Shailesh Bagoli said.
According to land acquisition norms, trees cut for construction have to be compensated through plantation on an alternative place. After the commissioner’s intervention, alternative land will be provided in Kotdwar in Pauri district for compensatory afforestation.
Nainital district magistrate Vinod Kumar Suman said the government had sanctioned the construction of a 60-metre-long steel girder bridge on the Lachhampur-Nakayal motor route.
“The Garhwal commissioner has sanctioned 2.159 hecrates of barren land at Patti Suwa Sila in Kotdwar tehsil for compensatory afforestation,” Suman said. “Fund was not a problem; bridge construction was stuck in forestland-related issues. Bridge work will begin soon, so that the people do not face problems.”
But people of Sri Lanka island, situated on the banks of the Gola river in Bindukhatta, will wait for respite. Like Nakayal, Sri Lanka island gets cut off during monsoon months, but forestland-related issues have not been settled for bridge construction there.
Mayank Pandey, a resident of Nakayal, said villagers had been facing problems for the last many decades. “Our village remains cut off during monsoons; students have to stay in Haldwani city for attending schools,” Pandey said.
“We had been demanding construction of a bridge for a long time and the authorities had been telling us that it has been held up due to forest issues as many trees have to be cut for making the bridge.”
