📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Debashrita
Local
Mandi village still isolated after bridge washed away last year
✍️ The Tribune
🗓 04 Oct 2026, 07:01 AM
👁 16
A bridge that collapsed in a flood last year has left Mandi village without any road link, forcing residents to rely on footpaths and makeshift routes.
The bridge that spanned the river near Mandi village was swept away during heavy rains and flooding last year, severing the only motorable road that connected the settlement to nearby towns.
Since the collapse, villagers have been unable to use any conventional road transport. Daily activities such as school commutes, medical visits and the transport of agricultural produce now depend on footpaths, temporary wooden planks and occasional boat crossings.
Local authorities have inspected the damage but have not yet commenced reconstruction, citing budgetary constraints and the need for a detailed engineering survey. In the meantime, relief measures remain limited, and residents continue to face increased travel time and higher costs.
Community leaders have appealed to district officials for urgent action, emphasizing that the lack of road connectivity hampers emergency response and economic development in the area.
The situation underscores the broader challenges of maintaining infrastructure in flood‑prone rural regions, where a single bridge failure can isolate entire communities for extended periods.
Since the collapse, villagers have been unable to use any conventional road transport. Daily activities such as school commutes, medical visits and the transport of agricultural produce now depend on footpaths, temporary wooden planks and occasional boat crossings.
Local authorities have inspected the damage but have not yet commenced reconstruction, citing budgetary constraints and the need for a detailed engineering survey. In the meantime, relief measures remain limited, and residents continue to face increased travel time and higher costs.
Community leaders have appealed to district officials for urgent action, emphasizing that the lack of road connectivity hampers emergency response and economic development in the area.
The situation underscores the broader challenges of maintaining infrastructure in flood‑prone rural regions, where a single bridge failure can isolate entire communities for extended periods.