Footbridges being secured by admin

Mangaluru: The Dakshina Kannada district administration has taken up the work of securing the kalusankas (footbridges constructed using wooden logs or concrete across streams), ahead of the onset of the monsoon, to avoid any mishap involving schoolchildren and others.
Though there have been no untoward incidents in the recent past, involving schoolchildren in Dakshina Kannada, the district administration, which has received a diktat from district minister Dinesh Gundu Rao to take precautionary measures, has made plans to repair kalusankas or make alternative route arrangements during the monsoon. There was an incident reported from Byndoor in Udupi last monsoon, where a grade two student aged seven met a watery grave on her way back home, after slipping and falling from a footbridge.
According to data from the Dakshina Kannada district administration, a total 3,136 children in the district use a total of 338 footbridges. Out of them, 48 kalusankas have no railing, and 55 of them are unfit for use. A total 227 kalusankas were built with wood, with the rest made of concrete and other materials. The highest number of them are in Puttur BEO limits, around 156, and are all made of wood. It is used by 2,182 schoolchildren. Puttur is followed by Belthangady and Moodbidri in number of kalusankas. The BEOs such as Mangaluru South, North, and Sullia have a few kalusankas.
Deputy commissioner Ravi Kumar MR said that the kalusanka repair work has been taken up on a war footing, so that no untoward incidents are reported involving schoolchildren. A survey was held recently, involving BEOs and other officials from the department of public instruction, along with the zilla panchayat and district administration. The survey has identified all kalusankas used by schoolchildren.
Zilla panchayat CEO Kumar has been given the responsibility to oversee and repair kalusankas, if they are found to be in a bad shape.
ZP CEO Kumar said that a circular regarding undertaking repair work has been sent to BEOs and local gram panchayats. They have been instructed to undertake immediate work to repair kalusankas using the funds available. “We have also asked them to repair, or make alternative arrangements for their route, if it is not possible to repair them immediately. Also, the schools have been asked to declare a holiday for children, who use kalusankas to reach school, whenever there is heavy rain, and where the streams swell.
A coordinator for kalusanka survey in Bantwal added that it is a good initiative, and that the repair of these footbridges has been given importance. “A lot of children from rural areas have a harrowing experience during the monsoon, while crossing these kalusankas,” he added.