Villagers block Gamharia demanding the reconstruction of Ghajia bridge in Seraikela-Kharsawan district. Picture by Srinivas

Jamshedpur, Dec. 2: When a journey of three minutes starts taking up many hours, one is sure to protest.

And when the government showed no signs of repairing the Ghajia bridge over the Kharkai even in five months, villagers decided they had had enough. They blocked vehicular movement on the Adityapur-Kandra Road and organised a blockade near the Gamharia block office early this morning.

Protesting under the banner of Ghajia Bridge Punarnirman Action Committee (GBPAC), villagers demanded reconstruction of the Ghajia bridge and also demanded an alternative connectivity between Rajnagar and Gamharia. They also demanded that the contractor concerned in this project be blacklisted.

Led by Shyamapado Gorai, the president of the GBPAC, protestors arrived at the blockade site as early as 5am and began cooking on the middle of the road. The villagers, around 500 in number, were determined to stage the blockade until a logical conclusion was arrived at. They squatted on the roads and stood in long queues while vehicles, including trucks, bus, auto-rickshaws, bikes and even cycles lay stranded.

A large number of women, who were also part of the rally, said the government had not shown any alacrity in redressing the problems of women in the Gamharia and Ghajia panchayat areas.

Gorai, while addressing a gathering at the blockade, said it had been five months since the Ghajia bridge was washed away in the Kharkai flood, but the administration had done nothing to bring relief to the residents.

“Around 25,000 commuters cross the Ghajia bridge every day from the Rajnagar area of Seraikela for various purposes, but once the bridge was washed away, they are suffering.

The people residing in Rajnagar have to travel an additional 25km to reach Gamharia. Earlier, it would only take three minutes,” the GBPAC leader said.

Gorai said the state government must ensure that contractor KK Builders, responsible for the construction of the bridge, is blacklisted.

The jam was lifted when deputy commissioner, Seraikela-Kharsawan, Rajesh Kumar Sharma arrived at the spot and declared that the government had ordered for a detail project report (DPR) for the reconstruction of the Ghajia bridge over Kharkai.

He also assured that he would convene a meeting with some prominent villagers of the Ghajia panchayat and the administration on Friday to look into the problems of the locals.

The police had a harrowing time while managing the traffic after the blockade. It was almost two hours till the Adityapur-Kandra Road returned to normality. Schoolchildren and office-goers suffered most.