jharkhand

Lack of proper bridge & road cuts off Hazaribag village during rains | Ranchi News

June 13, 2026

Hazaribag: Around 400 residents of Ara village under Ichak block in Hazaribag district are still dependent on a muddy road and a bamboo bridge built through community efforts to reach the block and district headquarters, even 78 years after Independence.Residents of Ara, under Dadha panchayat, said a tender was issued nearly two years ago for a road and bridge but construction has not started, forcing them to face severe hardship, especially during monsoon.Residents said the nearly 1.5-km stretch turns slushy during rains, and the absence of a permanent bridge over the Barki river leaves the village almost cut off. During emergencies, patients and pregnant women are carried on cots to the main road as vehicles cannot enter the village.“During rains, reaching the hospital becomes a major challenge. The road turns into a stretch of mud, and the river’s flow becomes dangerous,” said villager Pintu Kumar Das.He said a 12-ft-long bamboo bridge was built in July last year over the Barki by the villagers. “This bridge connects Ara to the block headquarters, which is 3 km away. But we often have to take a detour via a forest area, which makes the distance more than 6 km,” he added. Das said the other route also became unusable after the forest department dug a trench there.Women said villagers often have to stay back in nearby areas because crossing the river becomes risky. “If the problem is not resolved soon, villagers will be forced to launch an agitation,” said Deepni Devi, a resident.Social worker Vashishtha Kumar Pandey said, “Officials and elected representatives have visited the village several times, but no concrete action has been taken so far.”Dadha mukhiya Sunita Devi said letters were sent to departments and officials. She said the contractor has not started work for two years reportedly due to pending no-objection certificates (NOCs).Ichak block development officer (BDO) Santosh Kumar said, “The matter is pending for want of NOCs. I will surely take up the matter to get it cleared at the earliest,” he said.