Villagers forced to trudge across river in absence of bridge

The residents of Vijaypur village in the Gaulapar area of Haldwani Tehsil have been suffering from protracted apathy of the government for years now. They are forced to risk their lives and cross the Sukhinadi river which swells up during the monsoon because their long standing demand for construction of a bridge has been ignored by the authorities.

On Saturday, following the demise of an aged villager, his funeral procession was delayed as the people had to wait for more than an hour for the flow in the river to abate a bit before they crossed it on foot with the body for cremation on the other side of the river.

In the Gaulapar area of Haldwani, the residents of Vijaypur village state that they have no other option but to trudge across the river to go to the city. During the rains, the river swells up and the current is fast, which presents major difficulties for the villagers.