Students in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district are putting their lives at risk daily to reach school by crossing a precarious foot overbridge that had collapsed in the recent floods which ravaged the state.
Students cross the bridge holding the steel ropes of the destroyed bridge at the Kaller and Androlla crossing because they have no other option.
"We use this bridge and now it's broken and causing a lot of problem. Some time our bags drop in the water and we have to go back home, making us late for school. The boys don't have much problem but the girls face problem crossing the bridge. If there is fog in the morning, then we face the risk of slipping. The rope on this bridge is also very weak," said a twelfth standard student, Bavita Kejra.
Residents are demanding a new bridge or availability of boats to make crossing the river safe and easy.
However, District Development Commissioner, Jitendra Kumar Singh, said that efforts were on to restore the bridge at the earliest.
"The foot overbridge in the middle of Chingus is washed away due to the floods. I appeal to the students to not cross the river like this, it is very risky. The first option is to repair the foot bridge and the other option after talking to the engineers is to make it motorable. The action Road and Bridge has sent a DPR (Detailed Project Report), so we are working to either make it a foot over or motorable bridge," said Singh.
At least 175 people were killed by the devastating flash floods and landslides in Jammu and Kashmir.