Wednesday, 08 February 2023 | PNS | JOSHIMATH
Two years have passed since the Raini disaster struck, resulting in at least 204 deaths. However, the people of Juwagwad village continue to struggle in the absence of the bridge which was destroyed in the 2021 flood. The bridge has not been reconstructed and the trolley provided for the villagers poses major hardships especially in case of health and other emergencies.
The Raini floods had occurred on the morning of February 7 in 2021. Apart from the deaths caused in Raini and other places downstream, the bridge connecting Saldhar to Juwadwad village was also washed away. Two years after the disaster, the said bridge has not yet been reconstructed. The residents of Juwagwad village have been depending on a trolley to reach and go out of their village for about two years now. Villager Pushkar Singh Rana states that if any villager falls ill at night, one has to wait till the morning to take the person to hospital because they have to wait for the trolley operator posted by the Public Works Department. In case of any emergency at night or early in the morning, one has to wait for hours for the trolley operator. Due to the absence of the bridge and the trolley being the sole means of access to the village, marriage functions of villagers have to be held outside the village in some hotel, which cannot be afforded by all, he said. It is unfortunate that the government has not reconstructed the bridge though two years have passed, added Rana.
