An 80-foot-long footbridge over Sumendu Lake — the prime attraction in the hill town of Mirik some 50km from here, is in a shambles and needs immediate repairs.

The bridge, which connects both banks of the lake, is a popular walkway for tourists and locals alike who take a stroll or a horse ride on the arch-shaped structure to enjoy the view of the lake and surrounding hills or reach the pinewood forest on one side of the lake.

“It is over 40 years old and needs extensive repairs. Recently, a slab of its concrete plank had caved in and a pony had fallen into the lake. The animal was somehow rescued and the gaping hole blocked with wood and iron planks. But we really don’t know how strong the bridge is,” said Ashish Tamang, president of I Love Mirik, a social welfare organisation of the hill town.

A view of the Sumendu Lake with the arched footbridge Sourced by The Telegraph

Sources in the administration said back in the late sixties, a decision was made to develop the lake and its surroundings as a tourist destination. In the seventies, the footbridge was built and named as Indreni Pul in memory of Indreni Thapa, a martyr of the Indian National Army raised by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

“The administration and local civic body should take the initiative to assess the bridge’s condition and take up repair,” Tamang added.

Mirik, a smaller town compared to other prominent hill towns, is known for its uniqueness because of the lake and its surroundings. Also, the road leading to the town is known for picturesque locales and lush green tea estates. Hundreds of people visit the town every day.

“It is one of the popular sites for a day-out. Many tourists visit Mirik while going to Darjeeling and coming back. The bridge is also an attraction and should be preserved. We will flag this issue at appropriate quarters,” said Samrat Sanyal, who runs a travel company in Siliguri.

With the demand for repairing the bridge being raised from various quarters, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) recently sent a team of experts to inspect the bridge.

“The team from GTA will submit its report soon. Necessary steps will be taken then,” said a source in the GTA.

The civic body has also planned to engage its engineering cell to repair the part of the bridge that caved in. “We instructed the cell to visit the spot and take up repairing works,” said L.B. Rai, chairman of the board of administrators of Mirik municipality.