In Umarkhed, where there is a will there is a bridge

 

 

 

There is no denying the power of public will and an example of this can be seen in Yavatmal’s Umarkhed taluka. When the administration failed to fulfill villager’s demand for a bridge, instead of staging protests and holding demonstrations, the villagers concentrated their combined energies and resources towards building a bridge themselves.

 

Villagers of Manula, Shirad, Palashi, Pewa, Matala and Nighava were facing problems in commutation and were demanding a bridge from Palashi to Manula over the Penganga river for some time now. The bridge would connect Vidarbha to Marathwada. But when nothing seemed to be moving at the administrative level, the villagers decided to take on the job themselves.

 

With the initiative Yavatmal Zilla Parishad Member of Chitangrao Kadam, villagers collected a sum of Rs 15 lakh through public donations. Some of them provided their tractors for the bridge construction work and not only that, many villagers also performed shramadaan. And now, a cement concrete bridge is ready for use on the Penganga river. ubhash Jadhav, Dr Vasantrao Khandare, Sudarshan Jadhav, Gajanan Patil, Digambar Jamgade, Vishwas Jadhav, Shyam Kalyankar and many others played an important role in the construction. Villagers proved the adage- ‘If their is a will there is a way’ true with their concerted efforts.