Belagavi
The incident of school children crossing the submerged Upparatti-Maldinni bridge in Gokak Taluk using a JCB has come to light. Due to incessant rainfall, the bridge was submerged for the past four days.
It is a 50-year-old bridge that submerges every year due to excessive rainfall. Whenever the bridge submerges, the people of Upparatti village lose their connectivity with the outside world. It is a long-pending demand to increase the height of the bridge.
Despite the police department banning crossing the submerged bridge, some take risks. Adapting a new method, the villagers are using a JCB vehicle to cross the bridge, as the JCB does not succumb to the water force because of its heavy weight.
Going one step further, the JCB is also being used by students to cross the bridge. The pictures of girl students in school uniform crossing the bridge and climbing on the JCB are going viral on social media platforms.
