An unfinished bridge over the Bhima river that connects Naribol and Chamanur in Kalaburagi district. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Residents of Naribol and Chamanur villages along with religious heads and members of various organizations will start an indefinite dharna on December 9 in Kalaburagi town demanding immediate resumption of the long-pending work on the Bhima river bridge in Jewargi taluk.
The villagers demanded immediate resumption of work on the Naribol–Chamanur bridge.
MS Patil Naribol, president of Kalyana Karnataka Pratyeka Rajya Horata Samiti, said in a report that the bridge, which is located between Naribol village in Jewargi constituency and Chamanur village in Chittapur constituency, which are represented by Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board Chairman Ajay Singh and Rural Development Minister Rajyan Khamar and Panchay, remained for almost seven years.
The project, which was taken over by KMV, has stalled due to the alleged negligence of the contractor and officials concerned, he added.
The slabs were washed away in recent floods
Mr Naribol said the bridge only needed the last phase of work to be completed. However, the long delay caused damage to the under-construction bridge in recent floods, which washed away the concrete slabs on the bridge, leaving the structure broken and unusable.
He said the government had already spent about ₹16 crore on the construction of the bridge and the remaining work required another ₹14 crore. Because of delays in approving additional funds, work was halted for years and slabs already in place on the bridge were left exposed for a long time, he said.
Although residents of nearby villages have repeatedly urged the government to complete the bridge on a war footing, officials and public representatives have shown little interest in completing the project, Mr. Naribol claimed.
Villagers from Naribolu, Chamanur and surrounding areas along with pro-farmer and pro-Kannada organizations and religious heads of various Mutts will launch an indefinite protest in front of the statue of Dr. BR Ambedkar at Jagat Circle in Kalaburagi town.
Padayatra
If the government did not act, Mr. Patil warned that the agitators would take the padayatra to Belagavi and stage a demonstration outside the Suvarna Soudha during the ongoing winter session.
Published – 07 Dec 2025 20:17 IST
