Karnataka islanders build their own bridge

MANGALURU: To the world outside, the bridge on stilts connecting Pavoor-Uliya to the mainland may not mean much. But to the people of this island in the Nethravati river, some 26km from Mangaluru, it is their road to better education and healthcare, built with their own hard-earned money.
The tiny island can be reached by rowing for about 800m and then taking a vehicle towards the highway which is another 1.5km away. Residents say they have been demanding a bridge since Independence but no government has listened to them.

Fed up of waiting, they decided to pool money and build their own bridge. The ‘project’, led by the local church, managed to garner Rs 18 lakh in contributions and took a week to be completed. On Wednesday, residents walked across the bridge in a religious procession for the first time ever. Built from metal rods with a wooden towpath, the 800m lock-system bridge can be installed in two days and dismantled any time, says Capuchin priest Fr Jerald Lobo.

Around 200 people, including 30-40 students, are now closer to schools, colleges and hospitals, he says. The 4ft-wide bridge has no access to vehicles.

Flavia D’Souza turns emotional when she talks about the bridge. Her husband, Basil, died 20 years ago after a heart attack. “We could not take him to hospital on time as there was no bridge. I am happy there is some connectivity now,” she says.

The biggest beneficiaries, residents agree, are the children of the island. Earlier, to gettoschool,they hadtoflockto a boat boarding area by 6.30am andtry their luck. “Juggling between the boat, the overflowing river with strong currents and rain, crossing the Nethravati river was a daily adventure for us,” says a student. That apart, the salt water meant their shoes were ruined in no time. “We need four to five pairs of footwear every year,” says a schoolboy.