Trapped on a lifeline: An Uttarakhand village’s long wait for a bridge

Residents in Juagwad risk their lives daily on an unsafe trolley after the 2021 Chamoli disaster, and this election season, they want a solution.

The citizens of the village are forced to travel to other parts of the district due to the inaccessibility of the village, causing them financial losses. | Photo Credit: Ismat Ara

In the remote parts of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand, Pushpa Devi stands by the riverbank, waiting to cross the Dhauliganga river. She sports a stone necklace, a scarf, and the traditional attire adorned by the Bhotiya tribe, of which she is a member. She is eager to get to the other side of the river to fetch groceries for her family back in her village, Juagwad. Her only means of crossing the river lies with Jagat Singh, who operates the electric makeshift trolley from the opposite side.

Assigned by Uttarakhand’s Public Works Department (PWD), Jagat swiftly starts the generator and sends the trolley across. Devi sits on it, without hesitation—she has been doing this almost every day for the past three years. When Pushpa Devi fell ill 15 days prior, her husband, Shiv Singh had no choice but to take her to the nearest hospital, which is a few kilometres away from their village. But it proved to be challenging.

Uttarakhand flood of 2021

The bridge used by the villagers to cross the river was washed away in the Uttarakhand flood of 2021, where hundreds of lives were lost. Several nearby villages were also declared unfit for human habitation after the flood. Since then, villagers have been risking their lives every day to cross the river on a rickety trolley that precariously dangles them across the river. “We had to cross the river using the trolley,” Devi recounts. “Even though my health was deteriorating, there was no other option.”

The only way to reach the nearest hospital in Tapovan was to use a temporary trolley system installed by the government for the villagers’ commute. Because of this, a cough, a fever, or even a medical emergency becomes a terrifying prospect. As the upcoming Lok Sabha election draws near, their demands for a new bridge have become a rallying cry. The failure of successive governments to address this pressing issue has spurred discussions about boycotting the election—a drastic measure born out of desperation for basic infrastructure.

“It feels as if we are risking our lives every time. While sitting in the trolley, we don’t look down at the river out of fear. The trolley system is fragile and unsafe. The fear is ever-present, but what choice do we have?” asks Pushpa. With little to no network, the villagers also find it difficult to coordinate with representatives from the Public Works Department, Pushpa added. Talking about government neglect, she said, “Even when someone is severely sick, there is no assistance from the government. We don’t have any healthcare centres in the village to cater to medical emergencies.”

As Pushpa Devi prepares to go back, with potatoes and other groceries in her hands, the gurgle of the river mocks her as she clutches the handrail of the swaying trolley. Four years ago, this very river, swollen with water from the glacier, completely swallowed the bridge that connected Juagwad to the world.

Like Pushpa Devi, nearly 50 other families of the Bhotiya tribe in Juagwad now navigate this perilous crossing daily—for fodder, food, work, education, and other basic necessities. Jagat Singh, the trolley operator, says that between 8 am and 5 pm (his working hours), at least five to six villagers travel in and out of the village. Singh added that the Public Works Department does maintenance work on the trolley every six months. Despite this, the villagers said there have been multiple instances where the trolley has malfunctioned. “Once, it stopped in between,” Bhaagi Devi, another villager told Frontline. “We villagers tried, made several pleas but to no avail,” she added.

The bridge that connected the village to the rest of Chamoli was washed away in the 2021 Uttarakhand flood. | Photo Credit: Ismat Ara

Villagers have been pleading for the construction of a new suspension bridge for over three years. But the bridge has yet to be built. In 2023, villagers from Juagwad, along with the people of Raini village and the surrounding areas, demonstrated at the District Collector’s office in the district headquarters to demand the immediate construction of a suspension bridge that was washed away in the flood.

Not only do the villagers put their lives at risk by doing so, but their commute timings have become limited because the trolley is only available till 5 pm, says Harinder Singh, another resident of Juagwad. He too has returned after buying groceries from Tapovan and is ready to board the trolley to cross to the other side to reach his village. As he climbs on it, the trolley groans under the weight of Harinder Singh and his groceries.

Governmental neglect

While talking to Frontline, he said that the elders in his village are contemplating a boycott of the upcoming Lok Sabha election, owing to the non-construction of the bridge. “When the electric trolley does not work, we are forced to use the manual one. The push and pull across the river leaves rashes on our hands. The women too are forced to do this,” said Harendra Singh.

“I don’t know what development the BJP government is talking about. In our region, there has been no development. We don’t even have a bridge, let alone development. We are forced to cross the river by risking our lives every single day,” he added, with frustration and fear simmering beneath his facial expressions. Despite it, a flicker of defiance remains. The villagers’ anger and simmering resentment directed at a government which seems content with letting them live between hope and despair is palpable. The missing bridge is also a constant reminder of the flood. Shayama Devi, another resident, curses that she has to live this life. “Most of our time goes in commute…” she said.

More than three years after the flood severed their connection to the rest of Chamoli, villagers in Juagwad have been trapped in a situation of neglect and governmental apathy. The bridge over the Dhauliganga river, a lifeline for the community, remains the same. Pushpa Devi and Harinder Singh, like countless others in Juagwad, risk their lives daily on this contraption—calling it “unreliable” and “unsafe”.

Juagwad, a village in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, is nestled deep into the Garhwal Hills and remains largely untouched by surrounding areas like Tapovan. Yet, the disaster in February 2021 has left them without a bridge for over three years. Life in Juagwad now hangs by a thread, with the makeshift trolley system serving as the village’s only link to the outside world.

Because of its remote location, children from the village are forced to be sent out to Joshimath, Tapovan, or Chamoli for their education. Bhavaan Singh, the village head told Frontline that the only school in the village was shut down a decade ago. “More than 50 families live in the village. They are risking their lives every day by crossing the river in trolleys. The kids need to go to school and the men need to go to work. It is highly unsafe. Pieces of rocks fall over the village where so many families continue to live,” he said.

Calls for action

The village head, in multiple letters to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Joshimath on behalf of the village council, expressed grave concerns regarding the aftermath of the 2021 flood. The letters lamented the government’s inaction and highlighted the dire state of roads, damaged drinking water infrastructure, and the urgent need for reconstruction of the Juagwad bridge.

In a demand letter submitted to the District Magistrate, village elders Guman Singh, Bakhtawar Singh, Nandan Singh, and Dinesh Singh—all signatories of the letter—said that their village’s only bridge was washed away in the flood. “The alternative trolley that has been installed for commuting is also unsafe. Due to the lack of a safe bridge and road, no ceremonies can be held in the village. Villagers are facing problems commuting for daily chores,” the letter read.

Residents of Juagwad village have grown impatient with the trolley system they are forced to use for commuting as they find it “unreliable” and “unsafe”. | Photo Credit: Ismat Ara

Social worker Pushkar Singh Rana of the area said that the villagers have been continuously demanding the construction of the bridge in the village, but the administration is not listening to their pleas. Gram Pradhan Pushkar Singh Rana and Sunil Nautiyal say that due to a lack of alternate means of transport, the villagers have to go to Joshimath for marriage ceremonies as well as the mundan of children, causing them financial losses. Despite repeatedly apprising the officials of the Public Works Department, the departmental action is limited to making estimates for the bridges.

The government’s response to the villagers’ pleas has been marked by unfulfilled promises. Despite assurances of a new suspension bridge, tangible progress remains elusive. The upcoming election results in Uttarakhand will serve as a litmus test, gauging public sentiment towards infrastructural development and the responsiveness of political leadership.

During the rains, the situation gets worse. The plight of Juagwad is not unique. Throughout the Garhwal region, rain wreaks havoc, triggering landslides and disrupting roads. The government’s response has been inadequate, with promises of a new suspension bridge yet to materialise. Villagers have staged protests, pleading for action, but their cries seem to fall on deaf ears.

Over the years, the Chamoli district of the Garhwal region has reported landslides and disrupted roads. In the coming monsoon season, the villagers in Juagwad and nearby villages fear another flood. For most, it is a question of when, and not if the flood will occur again. The problems of the Juagwad villagers in the Niti Valley seem to persist.

The resilience of Juagwad’s residents is undeniable, but their patience is wearing thin. The upcoming election results from Uttarakhand’s five constituencies will tell whether PM Modi’s claims of the infrastructural developments being a “success story” resonate with the people. In Juagwad, every day without a bridge deepens the divide between promises made and lives at risk.