CHIKKAMAGALUR: With no road connectivity, residents of Nellibeedu village in Kalasa taluk carried a sick, elderly woman for 3 km and later admitted her to a hospital.
Lakshmi (70) had fallen ill and needed medical attention. With no other way to shift her, the villagers carried her up to a main road from where they took her to hospital.
In Kalasa taluk, several villages including Nellibeedu, Ajjigadde, Aarolli Kattemane, Konemane, Chikkanadamane, Chowdibeelalu, Deete, Kabbanchi, Karkethota lack road connectivity. A hanging bridge across the Bhadra river is their only connect to civilisation.
In the summer, when the water level in the river is low, the villagers can use their vehicles on the riverbed. But during the rainy season, the water level rises and they have to depend solely on the bridge and they have to trudge 6 km for the bare minimum of needs.
For the last 5-6 decades, the villagers have been demanding the construction of a proper bridge but to no avail. The villagers vented ire stating that officials and elected representatives visit them only during the time of elections and ignore their pleas.