Kunan-Pushwari Villagers risk their lives to cross nallah for daily routines.

Suhail Yousuf Shah

Kupwara, Mar 01: On February 27, 2022, the incomplete bridge that has been there for 15 years at Kunan Pushwari Village in Kupwara gained attention again after an elderly man drowned while crawling on the small bridge to cross the nalah.

The video went viral on social media and netizens expressed anguish against authorities for failing to complete the bridge despite the passage of 15 years.

The inhabitants of this village told Global Kashmir that more than a decade ago, the work on the said bridge was started. However, till now, the bridge has not been completed, posing the people a threat to cross the nallah.

The villagers said that time and again we have urged the authorities to complete this vital bridge. However, till date, no measures have been taken to make it operational.

A resident of Pushwari said the concerned contractor was alleging he had no funds to complete the work and had left it incomplete.

He stated that every time this temporary bridge poses a risk to people who attempt to cross the nallah, He continued that the other routes are time-consuming.

A girl student from the village said that they are facing immense hardships in the absence of the property bridge. She said whenever there is heavy rain, they are unable to cross the nallah due to the heavy flow of water.

Another student said that recently, an old man drowned in the nallah. People present swung into action and saved his precious life.

He said if the bystanders were not present, the elderly man would have died of drowning.

The residents of this area have urged the governor-led administration to look into the matter at the earliest.