Taking into account the difficult
ty faced by school students
and being alarmed by the rising number of accidents, the government had come up with a proposal to erect an over bridge in the Dhankheti area of the city.
Thus, began the construction of the much awaited ‘over bridge’ in the area. The news of this construction caused a flush of joy and relief among the people and the students at large.
After months of expectation, the over bridge was finally complete. With a height of about 5.5 meters, the over bridge stood with its legs stretched across the road.
Much to the convenience of the students, it came as a blessing for many. In its infancy, the bridge served its purpose well enough. Students from Loreto convent, St. Anthony’s, St. Peter’s, St. Mary’s etc were much benefited by it. Pedestrians including old people and the handicapped too reaped the benefits offered by the structure. The joy though was shortlived.
Within a few months, the long awaited over bridge became a lounge for loafers, drunkards and ragamuffins. No sooner would evening descend, their festivities would begin.
And what marked their revelry were the empty bottles that lay sprawled in the visible corners of the bridge. Not only that, it became an ideal place for defecation both by humans and dogs. As expected, people, particularly the school students, began to avoid the bridge gradually leading to its diminished usage.
If not cleaned and taken care of the over bridge could soon become another example of public money going down the drains.
The onus also lies with the passers-by to initiate the use of the bridge and avoid jaywalking for their own security. It may be mentioned that the area witnesses heavy traffic throughout the day and this makes the use of the over bridge almost mandatory for people.
The traffic department can also play a vital role by discouraging pedestrians from taking the shorter route to the other side of the road.
Perhaps everything cannot be blamed on the government and it is time residents of the city be the change they want to see so that the purpose of small but noble projects like the Dhanketi over bridge do not stand defeated in the long run. (By Meghna Deb Roy)