Hubballi: With heavy rain in neighbouring causing the water level of the Almatti dam to rise, those living near its backwaters are now forced to depend on two boats that have seen better days to reach Bagalkot in the absence of a proper bus service.
Although hundreds of villages near the dam were shifted over a decade ago, people of around 11 villages continue to live in their old houses here. Although just 2 kms away from Bagalkot, the villagers are forced to travel 25 kms to reach it after the Bagalkot-Belagavi road was submerged under the backwaters of the dam. The only alternative are the two old , worn out motorboats provided by the district administration to ferry them to Bagalkot as their plea for construction of a bridge has long gone unheard.
People of Kadampur, Yankanchi, Sindagi, Nekkaragundi, Sorakoppa, Sidnal and several other villages say they cross the backwaters in fear during the monsoon when the river Krishna is in spate. "It is difficult to move out of the village as the district administration has set up rehabilitation centres very far away from here. Also, the compensation offered is not enough to buy alternative farm land. But in the bargain we are forced to spend nearly half our daily wages on bus fares to take the roundabout route to Bagalkot. Our children too have a problem getting to their schools," said Salagundi villager, Basu Goudar.
