Gundi villagers launch No bridge, no vote' campaign at Asifabad

 Adilabad: Villagers of Gundi in Asifabad mandal have launched a ‘no bridge, no vote’ campaign and have planned a series of agitations till they achieve their demand. The villagers face a lot of hardship to reach Komaram Bheem Asifabad district headquarters for medical emergencies, especially when it rains.

Locals has to walk or travel nearly 25 km to reach Asifabad via Kannargam, Kamana and Wankidi during the monsoon as the rivulet overflows with flood waters and cuts off the temporary road. The villagers say that they are virtually disconnected with the outside world.         

The locals took out a procession to the district headquarters and submitted a memorandum to collector Hemant Bhorkhade on the issue on October 9. Their major demand is construction of the bridge on the Gundi Vagu. They lambasted the failure of elected representatives in completing the bridge despite a dire need for that.

Villagers have forbidden the entry of politicians for campaigning. In fact, they are not allowed to participate in their agitations for the bridge.

A video that went viral on social media shows Gundi villagers preventing Congress ticket aspirant Shyam Naik from joining the procession in the district headquarters. The villagers alleged that political leaders have tried to take advantage of their agitation but none of them fought for the bridge.

Reportedly, a few months back, the government sanctioned funds for the completion of the bridge with a new design and four additional pillars. All that remained on paper.  Villagers say that the bridge was sanctioned in December 2006, when Jeevan Reddy was roads and buildings minister. The initial works started with Rs 2.8 crore, and the spending Rs 3.75 crore in 2008-09 and Rs 8.4 crore was sanctioned in 2014 but works remained incomplete. The officials toyed around with many designs.

Kiran Bommakanti, a local, said they have been facing hardships in the absence of  the bridge and added that recently villagers, including children, fell into the overflowing rivulet when a country made boat in which they were travelling overturned.   

Incidentally, Sabari Aruna of BRS is the Gundi sarpanch and Gadavareni Mallesh Yadav, BRS  MPTC of Gundi, is the chairman of Asifabad market committee.