Bridge washed away, kids wade through river to reach school
Vincent.Arockiaraj@timesgroup.com
Nagapattinam:29.11.2019
For children of five villages in Nagapattinam district, going to school has never been as risky and challenging as it has been in the last two months. Ever since the wooden bridge across the Vettaru river was washed away in September, the students as well as villagers of Kilvelur union have been wading through the water to reach the other side.
“Ever since the monsoon set in, we have been walking through the water all drenched from the hip. We carry school bags on our head. Since there is a heavy flow now, we cross the river risking our lives. It is affecting our studies,” said S Arun, a student of government higher secondary school, Kilvelur. The affected students are mostly from schools in Nagapattinam, Kilvelur and Tiruvarur.
P Mahalaxmi of the same school said they carry an extra pair of clothes. “After crossing over, we change to our uniform . We rarely manage to reach on time. While coming back, the uniform also gets wet,” she said. Many fall ill and are forced to skip classes frequently. Some lucky ones, small in size, are carried on shoulders of a parent or a relative. As for little kids, parents invariably have to carry them both ways.
Around 1,500 families in Okkur, Kadamangudi, Moongilkudi, Vilampakkam and Mulapadugai have been going through this ordeal. They had approached the authorities several times but no action has been taken, said K Sundharambal, a villager who wants nothing short of a concrete bridge built.
Sources said there was nothing across the river until 2017, when a wooden bridge linking Vilambakkam and Kohur villages came up at ₹6 lakh from the constituency development funds of Kilvelur’s DMK MLA U Mathivanan. In September this year, due to the heavy flow, the wooden bridge was washed away.
When contacted, Keelvelur block development officer K Arunmozhi told TOI that they had sent a proposal to construct a bridge across the Vettaru river. “Since it is a huge project, it will take some time to get the proposal cleared. Since water is flowing on the river, work can start only during summer. We hope to complete the work in the coming summer”, the BDO said. Attempts to contact MLA Mathivanan and the district collector went in vain as both were not reachable.
RISKY ROUTE: Students of five villages in Nagapattinam district risk getting uniforms wet to get to school
Vincent.Arockiaraj@timesgroup.com
Nagapattinam:29.11.2019
For children of five villages in Nagapattinam district, going to school has never been as risky and challenging as it has been in the last two months. Ever since the wooden bridge across the Vettaru river was washed away in September, the students as well as villagers of Kilvelur union have been wading through the water to reach the other side.
“Ever since the monsoon set in, we have been walking through the water all drenched from the hip. We carry school bags on our head. Since there is a heavy flow now, we cross the river risking our lives. It is affecting our studies,” said S Arun, a student of government higher secondary school, Kilvelur. The affected students are mostly from schools in Nagapattinam, Kilvelur and Tiruvarur.
P Mahalaxmi of the same school said they carry an extra pair of clothes. “After crossing over, we change to our uniform . We rarely manage to reach on time. While coming back, the uniform also gets wet,” she said. Many fall ill and are forced to skip classes frequently. Some lucky ones, small in size, are carried on shoulders of a parent or a relative. As for little kids, parents invariably have to carry them both ways.
Around 1,500 families in Okkur, Kadamangudi, Moongilkudi, Vilampakkam and Mulapadugai have been going through this ordeal. They had approached the authorities several times but no action has been taken, said K Sundharambal, a villager who wants nothing short of a concrete bridge built.
Sources said there was nothing across the river until 2017, when a wooden bridge linking Vilambakkam and Kohur villages came up at ₹6 lakh from the constituency development funds of Kilvelur’s DMK MLA U Mathivanan. In September this year, due to the heavy flow, the wooden bridge was washed away.
When contacted, Keelvelur block development officer K Arunmozhi told TOI that they had sent a proposal to construct a bridge across the Vettaru river. “Since it is a huge project, it will take some time to get the proposal cleared. Since water is flowing on the river, work can start only during summer. We hope to complete the work in the coming summer”, the BDO said. Attempts to contact MLA Mathivanan and the district collector went in vain as both were not reachable.
RISKY ROUTE: Students of five villages in Nagapattinam district risk getting uniforms wet to get to school
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