Mid-day impact: Admin finally wakes up, Dahanu kids to get bridge

Despite the risks, students cross the river every day, as they are determined to get educated

Hours after mid-day reported about the life-threatening journey Kosesari village students undertake daily to get to school, the Palghar administration on Thursday decided to finally build a bridge on the Surya river.

In a report on Thursday, mid-day had highlighted the risks several students take every day by navigating the 40-foot-deep river daily on a wooden boat made by them and others in the village.

Officials in the Palghar district administration told mid-day that they will hold a high-level meeting with the authorities concerned with the state administration department in coming days to construct a bridge over the river.

For the past 21 years, residents of Kosesari village at Dahanu have been using temporary wooden boats to cross the river. The villagers had earlier complained that they had been demanding a bridge since 2000, but no one listened to them. This issue is in the assembly, but nobody is willing to make a bridge.

Dahanu Sub Divisional Magistrate Asima Mital told mid-day, "In the coming week, we will have a meeting with the officer [of the authorities concerned] to construct a bridge over the river. We will also discuss fund allocation."

After reading mid-day's report, several NGOs also contacted the zilla parishad member Saitish Karmoda and offered to help by providing life jackets for students. They also showed interest in assisting the students with education-related materials.