Mangaluru: Tired of waiting for authorities to clear vegetation and take up maintenance of a suspension bridge over the Phalguni River, residents of Varateel in Badagabellur have cleaned the bridge themselves to keep the vital link usable.The suspension bridge, designed and constructed by Padma Shri awardee Girish Bharadwaj, popularly known as the ‘Bridge Man of India’, connects Badagabellur in Bantwal taluk with Muthuru in Mangaluru taluk.According to locals, around 300 people use the bridge every day, including students travelling to nearby schools and colleges.Rithesh Shetty of Varateel said the bridge is a lifeline for locals, before its inauguration in 2015, people crossed the river using a boat. “Though a new road is available nearby, those with vehicles can use it. However, Badagabellur residents, particularly students who depend on buses, have limited bus services. Hence, students and others walk across the bridge to reach Muthuru and catch buses,” Rithesh said.Another resident said that villagers decided to take up the cleaning after waiting for long for the authorities to act.“If the authorities won’t do it, we will clean it ourselves. We cannot take up technical works such as greasing, tightening the cables and other maintenance, but we did whatever cleaning we could. The bridge had become like a jungle. Whatever we could do, we did. The remaining work has to be taken up by the authorities,” he said.The bridge had also become a local attraction, with several films being shot at the location. However, its poor upkeep over the years has affected its appearance and condition, residents said.Praveen Alva, former president of Muthuru panchayat, said a request had already been submitted to both the MLAs concerned, seeking funds for the bridge, and that works on it will be taken up urgently.He added that if the work is delayed, residents will continue to undertake cleaning activities.An official from the Badagabellur panchayat said no maintenance work had been carried out on the bridge since it was constructed.This year’s grant is yet to be received, the official said, adding that the bridge will require a substantial amount of funding, with an estimate of around Rs 10 lakh being discussed.
