IN A telling example of grassroots resolve translating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for Atmanirbhar Bharat into lived reality, villagers of Ranidongri and its hamlet Gavdepara in Kanker district have built a temporary bridge – locally referred to as ‘Rapta’ – across the Dumuhan river after waiting for over 15 years for official intervention that never arrived. Located barely five kilometres from the Bhanupratappur block headquarters, the villages remained cut off due to the absence of a bridge over the Dumuhan.

 

With repeated pleas to the administration yielding no result, residents decided to rely on collective strength rather than wait indefinitely. Each household contributed Rs 2,000, pooling funds to arrange a tractor and JCB, while villagers themselves undertook the manual work. The temporary earthen bridge was completed within three days. The lack of a bridge had long disrupted everyday life. Shivlal Uike, a resident, said the river was the single biggest barrier in reaching the panchayat and block headquarters.

 

During the monsoon, when the Dumuhan swells, Gavdepara becomes virtually inaccessible. Children fail to reach the Ranidongri school, patients struggle to access medical facilities, and villagers are forced to cross the river at the risk to their lives. Residents said they had exhausted every available channel over the years. Applications were submitted from the secretariat level to the Chief Minister, including during Suhshasan Tihar.

 

Representations were made to the sarpanch, janpad panchayat, elected representatives, MLA, district administration, Member of Parliament, and the Chief Minister’s office. Even during Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai’s visit to Sambalpur on June 5, 2025, villagers submitted a fresh application. They said the outcome remained zero. With the summer months offering a brief window of lower water levels, villagers resolved to create a temporary solution to ensure movement until the onset of the monsoon.

 

The mud bridge now allows pedestrians, motorcycles and tractors to cross, restoring daily economic and social activity. However, residents acknowledge that the structure will not survive heavy rains, when the river flows in spate and washes away makeshift crossings. The initiative has drawn attention for embodying the spirit of self-reliance often spoken of in policy discourse.

 

Onlookers said the villagers’ effort reflected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s repeated calls for communities to become development partners. At the same time, they stressed that such self-help became necessary only because the Chhattisgarh government failed to deliver basic infrastructure facility despite sustained demands spanning more than a decade.

 

“In Ranidongri and Gavdepara, it has emerged not as a slogan but as a survival strategy, with villagers building what the system could not,” they maintained.