KARWAR
Residents of Doddahittalkeri Majare under Hosakuli Gram Panchayat in Honnavar taluk of Uttara Kannada district are once again demanding a permanent road and bridge after villagers were forced to carry a coffin through neck-deep floodwater for a funeral.
The incident occurred on July 1 after the death of villager Kristen Joseph Rodriguez. With no bridge across the Bhaskeri stream, residents carried the coffin through floodwaters to perform the last rites. The incident has drawn attention to the lack of basic infrastructure in the village.
Doddahittalkeri has more than 50 houses and over 150 residents. For decades, people have depended on private land and plantations to reach the village because there is no proper public road. During the monsoon, the overflowing Bhaskeri stream cuts off access and floodwater often reaches the verandas of houses, forcing some families to move to relief centres.
Villagers said women, children and elderly people risk their lives every day by crossing waist-deep and sometimes neck-deep water to reach schools, workplaces and hospitals. They urged the government to immediately construct a permanent bridge and road.
MLA Dinakar Shetty said officials had already surveyed the area for bridge construction, but the project was delayed due to issues involving private land. He assured residents that the matter would be taken up with the government and efforts would continue to find a permanent solution for safe transportation to the village.