Rayagada: The 86th amendment to the Indian Constitution made free and compulsory education for children between six and 14 years a fundamental right. What it has not taken into account are the travails that many children across the country undergo to exercise that right to education.

For 12 children of Kondiguda village in Rayagada district, those travails are a daily ritual. In the absence of a bridge over the Jhanjabati river, these students risk their lives every day to cross 400m to reach school.

Located about 5km from the district headquarters town in Rayagada block, Kondiguda is home to around 27 families, mostly from the tribal communities.

Repeated demands from villagers to construct a bridge over the river has fallen on deaf ears. Shunned repeatedly, the villagers put stones in the river to allow the children to cross.

"We face a lot of difficulty while crossing the river. There is every chance that one of us might trip on the moss that cover the stones," said Class V student R. Padma. "We have to be very cautious. Despite that, we have faced minor accidents on several occasions."

While it is manageable in the summer and winter months, the onset of monsoon and the increased the water level in the river make the crossing difficult. "We don't go to school most of the time during rains as the water level rises, and it becomes risky to cross the river," said Jayant, another student.

The rains also hits health care services. Anganwadi workers and auxiliary nursing midwives are unable to reach the villages to check on pregnant women during this time. "It's a nightmare for us to shift patients to hospital in Rayagada without a bridge. We have urged the authorities concerned many times to construct a bridge, but in vain," said Duryadhan Saunta, a villager.

A district administration official said they were aware of the difficulties faced by the villagers. He said the administration was considering the construction of a bridge over the river. "We have prepared a proposal to construct bridge over the river and necessary steps in this regard will be taken shortly to ensure that the villagers don't face any problems in crossing the river," said Rayagada sub-collector Prabir Kumar Nayak.