Despite being a 15-minute drive from Koraput town in Odisha, 138 villages remain isolated due to the absence of a road bridge over the Kolab reservoir. They currently use a two-foot-wide pathway attached to an old railway bridge.
The Kolab reservoir, a manmade sea of water in the Eastern Ghats of Odisha, weaves a paradoxical tale of proximity and isolation. Built in the mid-1980s, this gravity-fed dam built across the Kolab river for a hydel and irrigation project birthed the reservoir that would separate 138 villages from their district headquarters town of Koraput.
Consider this scenario: despite being just a 15-minute drive away from the town, these villages face a significant hurdle — there is no road bridge over the vast reservoir. Their lone mode of connectivity is a two-foot-wide maintenance pathway attached to an old iron bridge of the railways, constructed in the 1960s as part of the Koraput-Kirandul line, originally intended for transporting iron ore.
Travelling by car or bus means embarking on a circuitous journey of nearly 100 km via Nandapur to reach Koraput.
Madana Bada Naik, a resident of Suku village, approaches Bridge Number 543 with the calculated precision of a mathematician solving a speed-time-distance problem. Every crossing is a high-stakes manoeuvre, a gamble against tragedy as trains rumble across, mere inches away from the narrow pathway. At least 12 trains — 10 freight and two carrying passengers — cross the bridge daily.
Naik navigates this perilous passage, acutely aware that a misstep could lead to disaster.
“It’s a nightmare. Many mishaps have happened, but the administration remains unmoved,” he said.
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The bridge groans under the weight of time and abandonment. Its frame, contrasting with the verdant hills and glittering waters, reflects the villagers’ desperate plea for attention.
“We live so close to Koraput town, yet so far,” said Raghu Jani, another villager.
Farmers, burdened by the impracticality of reaching Koraput, find their produce stranded. Students and patients bear the brunt of this watery barrier.
“We have approached the authorities and our elected representatives several times, but to no avail,” Jani said.
A signboard, sternly proclaiming punishment for anyone on the bridge, stands as a futile deterrent. The villagers continue to tread the pathway, an act born out of necessity.
Saurabh Prasad, the divisional railway manager of Waltair, acknowledged the hardships faced by the people.
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“The residents of three blocks — Nandapur, Lamtaput, and Koraput — face challenges in fulfilling their daily needs,” Prasad said. “This bridge is exclusively for trains. Although we don’t permit pedestrians and two-wheelers, they use it regularly.”
However, hope flickers on the horizon as administrative approvals for a new bridge materialise.
“The chief minister of Odisha has approved our demand for a new bridge. The tender process is reaching its conclusion, and construction will begin soon,” declared a jubilant Raghuram Padal, the local MLA.
Prabhakar Behera, the superintending engineer of rural works in Koraput, affirmed that approval has been granted for a 500-metre-long bridge, with a width of seven metres and a budget of Rs 50 crore.
According to Abdaal M. Akhtar, the district magistrate of Koraput: “We are committed to delivering essential facilities, but the Kolab reservoir hinders the path of development for a population of over 1.45 lakh in the cut-off area. We aim to complete the bridge-related work before March 2024. Our goal is to provide the bridge as soon as possible.”
Yet, scepticism lingers among the villagers, their collective memory haunted by unfulfilled promises.
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“Political leaders come to our village and make tall promises each time during the elections. But these promises fade into oblivion once the ballots are cast,” said Jani, capturing the prevailing sentiment of doubt in the face of anticipated change.
The lead image at the top shows a villager using the two-foot-wide pathway attached to an old railway bridge to cross the Kolab reservoir. (Photo by Shreekant Sahoo)
Shreekant Sahoo is a senior journalist with a decade of dedicated experience in the ever-evolving field of media. He is a Rural Media Fellow 2023-24 at Village Square.
