Hanging Bridges of Kodagu: Reality Check – 3

Kushalnagar: The hanging bridge built across Cauvery River near Sri Ramalingeshwara Temple at Kanive close to Kushalnagar in Somwarpet taluk has been severely damaged by floods that have been wreaking havoc since the last three years. It is an 80-metre-long bridge constructed in 2011 at an estimated cost of Rs. 47 lakh by the Malnad Area Development Board. 

It is a long bridge connecting from one Cauvery River bank to the other supported by steel pillars and piers where scores of people and students use the bridge to cross over. The steel rods that hold the bridge are damaged and the wooden planks meant for pedestrian commute have come apart. 

Thousands of people, who depended on this bridge for their daily commute to work, are now scared about their future, with the bridge no longer safe for commuting. Realising the danger, even the Kodagu District Administration has banned the movement of people on the fragile structure.

The hanging bridge at Kanive stands at a distance of 200 metres from the confluence of River Cauvery and Harangi. Water here flows in full force and during rains, lakhs of cusecs of water flows thus submerging the hanging bridge. Due to sheer force of water, the bridge sways and this can be seen from a distance. 

The bridge, constructed by Bridge Man Padma Shri Girish Bharadwaj, allows villagers from North Kodagu to connect with the border region of Periyapatna taluk in Mysuru district and vice-versa. Before the bridge was built, villagers were facing a tough time from several years  as there was not even proper boat service to reach the other side of the river. They had to reach Kodagu by travelling over 15 kms by bus.

The bridge connects many villages of Periyapatna taluk in Mysuru district, including Dodda Kammanahalli, Shanubhoganahalli, Dindigadu, Muttina Mullusoge, Kanagalu, Hanumanthapura and Karadi Lakkanakere with Kodagu villages such as Kanive, Bhuvanagiri, Huluse, Hakke, Koodige, Mararu and Hebbale.

The bridge was built with the help of 20 workers and it is 33 ft high and two concrete pillars have been built on both sides of the river and the pillars are connected with 83.5 metre iron rope. Galvanised iron ropes have been fixed on both sides of the bridge for safety purpose. 

Following the damage to the bridge, the Police have now erected barricades across the bridge preventing the entry of people. With the closure of his hanging bridge, villagers along the border are forced to take a detour of about 20 kms via Avarti to reach Kushalnagar and other places.

After the floods, Madikeri MLA M.P. Appachu Ranjan had made an attempt to repair the bridge by fixing the broken planks and replacing the broken ones. However, these repairs are not enough to ensure the safety of villagers and students crossing over from one side to another. There is a desperate need to repair the bridge and facilitate smooth movement. 

Now the bridge has been opened after minor repairs. But it is still dangerous and during monsoon, it will be completely closed. 

Since floods are an annual occurrence, villagers have demanded a permanent solution — build a new hanging bridge at an elevated space so that flood waters do not reach the bridge. Madhu from Kanive says that the Kanive Srirama Temple or the Sri Ramalingeshwara Temple is a tourist spot where hundreds of photographers come with their cameras annually. Also, the river banks connect Kodagu district and Mysuru district. The District Administration must think of a permanent solution, he added.