A widow from Bharial village shocked everyone when she told Rahul Gandhi that her husband died of brain haemorrhage because he could not reach a hospital. The reason was the lack of a concrete bridge over the Ravi river. Her story brought the long-standing Us-Paar bridge crisis into sharp focus.
The ‘Us-Paar’ region, home to seven villages with nearly 3,500 people, remains cut off for four months every year. An 800-metre bridge, costing Rs 100.48 crore, was proposed in 2002 but never built. Instead, a pontoon bridge was set up, which gets dismantled during monsoons, leaving villagers stranded.
Without connectivity, residents face severe hardships—patients can’t access hospitals, schools function irregularly, industries never developed, and even mobile networks avoid the area. Families often marry off daughters early, fearing inaccessibility.
In 2021, the Centre sanctioned funds under the Central Road Infrastructure Fund. Land was identified for construction, but engineers shifted the site due to water surge risks. Though over Rs 10 crore was allotted for land acquisition, only Rs 2.5 crore has reached farmers, halting progress.
Rahul Gandhi promised Kaushalya Devi that he would take up the Us-Paar bridge crisis with urgency and press local leaders to act.
