Constructed in 2002, the footbridge in Velus village in Valpoi, which is used by over 3000 locals, has been neglected by the authorities for over a decade.
The locals have demanded that the bridge be repaired immediately and have also urged the authorities to construct an approach road to the bridge, to link the villages of Velus and Satode. Both villages come under the Valpoi Municipal Council (VMC) jurisdiction.
Most commuters especially school students use this footbridge as it reduces the distance to Valpoi town by three kilometres.
The footbridge is in a bad shape as the barricade portion has been broken and commuting along the bridge is unsafe especially during the monsoon.
“During election time, political leaders and political parties promise to construct a new bridge, and fail to do so. At least the concerned authority or the municipality should have carried out temporary repairs of the bridge,” said Bharat Gaonkar, a resident of Velus.
Velus and Satode have approximately 350 houses with 3000 people residing in these two wards of VMC.
The villagers have blamed the government and local authority for failing to provide the basic facilities such as proper road, streetlights etc.
A villager Dattaram Barve informed that the footbridge is 15 years old and the then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had assured the villagers that new bridge would be constructed along the river to connect both villages, but nothing has happened so far.
“The students use this bridge to reach to school early or else they have to walk more kilometres. We demand that authorities should at least repair the bridge before the monsoon,” said Amresh Gaonkar, another villager.
VMC Ward-1 Councillor Anil Katkar said that the road and bridge over the river have already been proposed and the files have been sent to the concerned department for approval.
VMC Chairperson Ramdas Shirodkar claims that no developmental works have been carried out as the government has failed to release the funds to the municipality for last 5 years.
