Kanhangad: Students use boats to cross rivers even in rainy season to reach their schools and then get back to homes at great risk when rainy waters may be in spate. Seeing their struggle Kerala govt has decided to erect hanging bridges above rivers and rivulets criscrossing Kerala Coasts, especially in Kasaragod dt, and Kanhangad areas.
Karnataka has such hanging bridges in Sullia Taluk, around 30 of them, thanks to an engineer who built them single – mindedly. That could be the inspiration behind the Kerala initiative.
The first phase will cover 30 bridges in select areas over rivers joining the sea and where hamlets and GPs exist of poor workers.
But people use boats to cross small rivers in over 550 places in Kerala today, and rainy seasons can be dreadful to cross rivers in spate. About 550 crores of rupees would be needed to construct the bridges, almost a crore per hanging bridge.
The Kerala govt, has come forward to bear all costs in 13 instances in the first place, at selected points where it is a dire necessity to have the bridge. For the balance amount of over Rs.500 crores, the LDF govt has gone to the UPA govt, at the Centre with a request for help. The Centre is yet to respond, it is stated by known sources in Kerala.