Denied bridge, Chatra villagers carry kids to school on shoulder | Ranchi News – Times of India

CHATRA: Every year, students of Bhauraj village under Pratappur block in Chatra are forced to stay at home or undertake dangerous journey to attend classes during the rainy season. When the river is not in spate, parents carry their children on their shoulder across the river to reach the school on the other side. The Bhauraj river in Humajang Panchayat affects around 1,000 residents of the village during monsoon. Heavy rainfall over four days has raised water levels, hampering access to block headquarters, markets and schools. With no bridge across the river, residents are confined to their village. Movement between villages has ceased, preventing access to medical facilities and disrupting children’s education. Workers are confined to their homes, all due to the missing bridge across the Bhauraj River.On Friday and Saturday, parents resorted to transporting children on cots and shoulders to ensure their education continued.A villager said, “The village loses contact with district headquarters during monsoon. People become unemployed, leading to a shortage of food in the houses too.”Residents claim the village lacks basic amenities, including bridges, roads, hospitals, schools. Despite repeated appeals to MP, MLA, and deputy commissioner for bridge, only empty promises were received. Student Babli Kumari expressed distress about crossing the river on cots or shoulders. “Why is there no bridge on this river despite so many years of independence?” she said. Pawan Kumar described how villagers stockpile three months’ worth of provisions before monsoon. “If a child, woman, or elderly person falls ill in the village, people cross the river by placing the sick person on a cot. But it becomes difficult to take a pregnant woman to the hospital,” he said. Block development officer Abhishek Pandey told TOI about a recent proposal for a 150-foot bridge, awaiting DMFT funding. Engineers have surveyed the site recently. “I assure villagers that the village will soon get a bridge,” he added.