Lack of bridge forces villagers to take a 32-kilometre detour

Davanagere: If one were to look at a map, it would not be very hard to see that Govinakovi, Kuruva, Rampura and a handful of other villages in Nyamathi taluk, Davanagere are hardly two or three kilometres farther apart from one another. However, the lack of a connecting bridge across the Tungabhadra River flowing between them compels them to take a 32-kilometre detour to travel between the villages!
More than 55 years have elapsed since the demand for a connecting bridge across the river was first put across to the state government. It was in 1965 when HS Rudrappa was the Karnataka agriculture minister that the demand was first submitted by the villagers. Subsequently, during JH Patel’s tenure as chief minister, the project received government approval and Rs 6 crore sanctioned for its construction. The tireless efforts of Sri Vishveshwara Shivacharya Swami of Rampura Mutt also resulted in the soil being tested for the project. But, as Rampura resident D Manjunatha Gowda Patel pointed out, the project has since been hanging fire.
The only alternative that the residents of the villages have is to take a boat across the Tungabhadra River, a risky affair even when there is no rain.
Kavitha Shastri Holemutt, a resident of Nyamathi, said that the villagers can sail across the Tungabhdra only between January and the last week of May, when there is little danger of the boats getting swept away in the river. “But, during the monsoon, we have no choice but to take the detour. The bridge would really save us a lot of trouble,” she said.
The Gadde Rameshwara temple and a cave, which is believed to have been the abode of a saint, become islands afloat on the Tungabhadra River after the rain, pointed out Swamy Holemutt of Honnali taluk. “The priests sail to these temples only once a week during the monsoon to conduct puja and other rituals. But if the river is in spate, the rituals are conducted only once in six months during the rainy season,” he added.
MP Renukacharya, MLA for Honnali, said that he had discussed the need for the construction of a bridge across the Tungabhadra River with central ministers during a recent visit to New Delhi. “I will meet CM BS Yediyurappa and get his nod for the construction of the bridge at the earliest,” Renukacharya said.