VIDEO: How Haryana Villagers Built a Bridge Worth Rs. 1 Crore without Government Aid

It is not every day that we get a chance to witness determination, grit, and the power of a community at large. When these villagers in Haryana decided to build a bridge for themselves, they set an example for all of us. 

There is a great power in collective action. Unity and an earnest determination towards achieving a single goal can do wonders, and here is the latest real life example for that.

A group of villages in Sirsa district of Haryana were exhausted after over three decades of continuous appeals to the government about building a bridge over the Ghaggar River which connects Aleeka and Panihari villages. They never received any aid whatsoever.

Though exhausted, these people were not defeated, or ready to give up at all. They finally decided to take charge themselves and formed a group of nine villages. After this, the residents of these villages collected the required money to construct a bridge themselves.

It was going to take an amount of 1 crore to finish building the bridge.

The work on the bridge is almost complete now, and the amount of 80-90 lakh has already been spent. The vast amount of money is a contribution from the local farmers and other villagers.

Once completed, the bridge will reduce the distance between the villages from 40 kms to 10 kms and will result in easier access to markets of Punjab where they can sell their crop yield.

It has taken close to a year for the completion as the work began in April 2014.  The bridge is 250 feet long and will benefit 1.25 lakh people.

On one hand, this story raises questions about bureaucracy; on the other, and on a much larger note, it inspires us. Building a bridge is not a piece of cake. They had a vision – one which is admirable. Because while most people see the problems, they are at a loss when it comes to devising ideas on how to solve them. They not only took the first step, but also made sure to stand by their vision right to the very end.

Watch the original report done by DD News here:

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