Rourkela: The students of Telendihi village at Hemgir block in Sundargarh district have either been missing classes amid heavy rain or, when it isn’t raining, their fathers and relatives carry them on their shoulders to cross a swollen Chaturdhara river, so that they can at least attend schools located on the other side.Not just for education, villagers risk their lives every day crossing the swollen Chaturdhara river during monsoon for work and medical needs as well, in the absence of a bridge. Critically ill patients and pregnant women are ferried across on cots.The river separates Naktideula and Telendihi villages under Gopalpur panchayat. With no bridge, residents wade through chest‑deep water to reach the other side, where govt and private schools, as well as a college, are located.Some parents even leave their children with relatives on the other side during the rainy season to ensure uninterrupted schooling.“We have been demanding a bridge at different forums for years, but nothing has happened. During the rainy season, our children often miss classes because of the swollen river. Sometimes we carry them on our shoulders to cross the river and drop them at school,” says Trilochan Rana, whose daughter studies in a private school.Block development officer (BDO) Reena Naik says she had already sent a proposal for the bridge. “I forwarded the proposal to the chief development officer, Sundargarh, for construction from DMF funds, but it is yet to be approved,” she says.Chief development officer‑cum‑executive officer Suranjan Sahoo says he will take up this matter on an urgent basis.
