A bamboo bridge was made by the residents of Simrahi Tola of Sakaldeepa panchayat in Palamau district to cross over a turbulent rivulet flowing beneath it.

The bridge is being seen as a makeshift arrangement, taking a step towards prime minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

The 25 feet long bamboo strip bridge is a lifeline for about 100-odd people of the area, as the 4-5 feet deep rivulet below is so turbulent, even the young and healthy do not dare wade through.

The catchment area is hilly and rocky and the rivulet floods during heavy rainfall.

Mukhiya of Sakaldeepa panchayat Hafizullah Ansari told The Telegraph Online, “We have been running from pillar to post for a big culvert on this rivulet over the last many years but in vain.”

He said a detailed project report was made, but technical and administrative sanctions are awaited.

“Last year the contestants for the Lok Sabha seat and the Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha seat came campaigning in Simrahi Tola and promised a culvert here on this rivulet. It remains a promise till date,” he said, adding that the rivulet had very little water in May and November 2019 during the respective polling seasons, so perhaps political figures were unable to understand their hardships.

“These political figures just thought our demand then to be for ‘theka patta’ (contract),” said Ansari.

“Now this rivulet is in spate and our life is miserable but no political leader has any time for us,” he said.

Sources said the locals gave their matured bamboos and made the bridge themselves in just two days.

Bikes also pass over this bamboo bridge but with caution, since any speed beyond 20km per hour on this bridge may cause it to shake.

Sources said the bridge will allow women in distress to access a nearby health centre which is 12km away, in Panki.

Simrahi falls under the Chatra Lok Sabha constituency and Palamau’s Panki assembly constituency.