Makeshift structure serves as lifeline for 60 families in remote Tripura village

Every day, residents of Dhan Chandra Para in Shibpur ADC Village under the Rishyamukh Assembly Constituency in South Tripura district begin their journey with a challenge, crossing a stream with a makeshift structure. 

Home to nearly 60 families, most of them from indigenous communities, the remote hamlet remains cut off from basic connectivity due to the absence of a bridge on its only access road. For villagers, reaching schools, markets, rubber plantations or agricultural fields is often a risky task. 

With no government-built structure in place, residents have been forced to create their own solution. Using bamboo collected from nearby forests, they constructed a makeshift bridge over the stream. At another crossing, where neither a bridge nor a culvert exists, villagers have laid broken electric poles across the waterway to serve as a narrow passage. 

During the monsoon, the situation becomes more challenging as the children reach school by crossing the temporary structures, while farmers struggle to transport their produce. Villagers say accidents are common, with several students suffering injuries after slipping while crossing the streams. 

"We have no other option. This is the only road connecting our village," said a local resident, expressing frustration over the prolonged neglect. 

According to the villagers, the issue has been repeatedly brought to the attention of elected representatives and government officials. Memorandums have also been submitted to local authorities, including the Block Development Officer (BDO), MDC Debajit Tripura, political leaders and the local MLA. Several officials and public representatives have also visited the site over the years and assured residents that a solution would be found. 

However, villagers allege that despite inspections and promises, no tangible progress has been made. They said block officials had conducted geo-tagging of the location but later informed them that the available funds were insufficient for constructing a bridge, suggesting that the matter would require intervention from higher authorities. 

For the people of Dhan Chandra Para, the demand is simple; a permanent bridge can end their years of hardship and connect the village to the main road.