VALPOI: The bridge on the Ragada river in Paikul village was washed away last year due to flooding and work on the new bridge is still underway. The locals are exasperated and complain that there are inordinate delays over the construction of a new one which has put them into great inconvenience and have threatened to boycott panchayat elections if the work on the bridge is not speeded up. Currently, the locals are reliant on the temporary footbridge but its safety compound has also washed off due to incessant rains this year.
The locals have also demanded that election officers install the polling booth within the village otherwise the voters will have to cross the river to vote. There is a way to the polling booth via Bondla but the route is dreadfully long. The concerned officials were notified regarding the issue but so far there has been no definite response and so, locals have threatened to boycott the upcoming polls on August 10.
