Two bridges under threat

SRIKAKULAM: Sand syndicates dig up the riverbeds of Nagavali and Vamsadhara in Srikakulam district, even as the villagers living close to the two rivers have protested against it and complained to the authorities concerned many times.Allowing digging operations using excavators and other mechanical devises around the Srikakulam old bridge on river Nagavali and the bridge on river Vamsadhara at Madapam of Narasannapeta mandal posed a direct threat to the two bridges.Though the department of mines and geology is located right on the river bank of Nagavali river, transporters are uploading illegally mined sand from bullock carts to tractors right there. A few days ago, panic spread at the old bridge as some pedestrians complained that the bridge was shaking when heavy vehicles passed. The bridge connects about 100 hamlets to the district headquarter.Meanwhile, ahead of Thursday's scheduled auction for Sarubujjili ramp of river Nagavali, villagers of surrounding areas announced that they would not allow the auction to take place saying they were being displaced during the rainy season as flood water was entering their villages due to sand quarrying."There are around 140 villages facing floods and embankment works are yet to be taken up to protect them," district collector G venktrami Reddy said. Recently, the collector even appealed to the public to help officials crack down on sand smugglers.