Students, others risk life to cross river in Khawas

Villagers help school children to cross flooded river in Khawas. —Excelsior/Imran
Villagers help school children to cross flooded river in Khawas. —Excelsior/Imran

*People project demand of bridge

Excelsior Correspondent

RAJOURI, Aug 29: The students of Panchayats Gadyog and Dhalheri of Khawas tehsil in Kotranka Sub-District have to cross the local river risking their lives in the strong water currents every day while going to Higher Secondary School Khawas.
Dozens of students pass through this large Nallah to reach Higher Secondary School. Locals claimed that at the time of flooded river a major accident was averted when a girl student got washed away while crossing it. A local person present on the spot tried to take the school girl across the river. He also fell and swept away at some distance along with the girl in the strong current of water, but did not leave the girl’s hand and during this time two young men standing on the other side of the river also jumped into and rescued the girl.
According to local residents Nazam Din, Ashfaq Ahmed and Dinesh Thakur, there is only one bridge on Khawas – Dhalheri PMGSY road, whose construction work started about two years ago, but unfortunately not completed yet. They told that the students of Gadayog and Dhalheri Panchayats, who go to attain education in Higher Secondary School, Khawas, pass through this big Nallah but due to lack of bridge, the students put their lives in danger for reaching school.
In the morning when these children go to school and find water level less in river then they cross but when it if heavily flooded they return home or with the help of other young men cross the river. Their clothes and books also get wet many times. Some times they wait for hours to recede water level. The local people have demanded from the District Development Commissioner Rajori to issue directions for the early completion of the construction work on the bridge at Khawas Nallah.
Executive Engineer Imtiaz Mir when contacted said that the construction work of the bridge is in the final phase i.e. the launching mode of the super structure and in next 2 months the bridge will be ready and made operational for traffic.