4 days ago
Adivasis Build 100-Metre Wooden Bridge After Government Inaction
A bridge used by tribal communities in Andhra Pradesh was washed away in 2024.
People asked the government to rebuild it, but a replacement was not provided.
About 100 villagers then worked together to build a wooden bridge.
They used trees from the forest and said they spent no money.
The bridge is about 100 metres long.
It can carry motorcycles and auto-rickshaws.
Without a bridge, children had trouble reaching school and patients had difficulty reaching hospitals.
Villagers also struggled to take forest products to weekly markets.
Officials have sanctioned some other projects, but activists say many agency areas still lack good connectivity.
About 100 Adivasis built a 100-metre wooden bridge between Lothugedda and Boyapadu in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitarama Raju district.
Construction began on August 8 and finished on August 15, with residents saying they spent no money on it.
The bridge replaced a Panchayat Raj Department structure washed away in 2024 after repeated pleas for reconstruction.
Residents said the missing crossing disrupted school travel, hospital visits and the sale of forest produce.
Activists cited continuing infrastructure shortages, while government records show several bridge and culvert projects sanctioned in the district.
- Who
- About 100 Adivasis from villages including Boyapadu, Vanajajula, Kappala, K. Bennavaram, Karakapalli, Godugumamidi, T. Korukonda and Mulagondi.
- What
- Residents constructed a 100-metre wooden bridge across a stream after the earlier bridge was washed away.
- Where
- Between Lothugedda and Boyapadu in Chintapalli mandal, Alluri Sitarama Raju district, Andhra Pradesh.
- When
- Construction took place from August 8 to August 15; the original bridge was washed away in 2024.
- Why
- Residents needed access for schoolchildren, hospital patients and the transport of forest produce after government reconstruction did not occur.
Residents and activists
Government records
Infrastructure and official response
Residents and activists
Residents and activists say the government did not replace the bridge despite pleas and that tribal areas continue to face an infrastructure deficit.
Government records
Government records show that several bridge and culvert projects have been sanctioned for Alluri Sitarama Raju district.
Practical effect of the missing bridge
Residents and activists
Residents faced daily difficulties reaching schools and hospitals and taking forest produce to weekly markets.
Government records
The reported government position is represented by records of sanctioned projects, but the articles do not state whether those projects were completed.
Key facts
- Bridge length
- 100 metres
- Builders
- About 100 Adivasi residents
- Construction period
- August 8-15
- Construction cost
- Residents said they spent no money
- Materials
- Wood from forest trees
- Capacity
- Motorcycles and auto-rickshaws
- Earlier bridge
- A Panchayat Raj Department bridge washed away in 2024
- Documented sanctioned project
- A ₹1.89-crore bridge on the Ganugurolu-Bangarubudi road in G. Madugula mandal
Quotes
Killo Suresh
Farmer from Boyapadu who described the villagers’ bridge construction
“We began construction of the bridge on August 8 and completed it on August 15 and celebrated Independence Day”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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