Asifabad: Villagers take up 80 km walkathon for bridge facility

Disgruntled residents of remote Dimda village in Chintalamanepalli mandal took up a daunting 80 kilometre long walkathon demanding that district authorities construct a bridge across a stream near their habitation.

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: Disgruntled residents of remote Dimda village in Chintalamanepalli mandal took up a daunting 80 kilometre long walkathon demanding that district authorities construct a bridge across a stream near their habitation. They walked from Dimda to Asifabad seeking the facility on Tuesday.

Upon reaching the district headquarters, the villagers staged a sit-in in front of the Collectorate and demanded the authorities concerned to address their challenge at the earliest. They regretted that they remain cut from the mainstream whenever the stream swells. They lamented that they were forced to wade through to reach mandal headquarters for various needs including medical emergencies.

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The agitating residents recalled that a 24-year old student Doke Ramakrishna was washed away in the swirling waters of the stream in 2015. They recounted that they staged many protests seeking the facility in the past. They stated the works of a proposed road and bridge have not commenced since 2017.

Vexed by the inordinate delay in releasing the long pending dream, the hapless dwellers launched a sit-in on the banks of the stream in September of 2021. They, however, withdrew their protest with Chintalamanepalli MPDO Sudhakar Reddy and Panchayat Raj Junior Engineer Krishna Rao assured to commence the works soon. But, their demand continued to be a mirage.

Inhabited by a population of about 2,000, Dimda was formed some 100 years back. It is bounded by Pranahita, a tributary of Godavari river, in north and east directions. It has a dense forest on the west. The villagers are left with no option to wade through the stream to access the external world, risking their lives.