News
Uva Paranagama Uma Oya bridge in perilous condition
View(s):By K R Rajamanthri
Villagers are requesting government authorities to renovate the 160-year-old bridge across Uma Oya in Uva Paranagama.
The arched iron bridge is in a dilapidated condition with decaying planks, posing a risk to those using it.
Ironically, the area is considered a tourist attraction though no steps are taken to ensure the safety of those visiting.
The bridge was built by the British to cross Uma Oya through thick jungle and was used by villagers to cross over from Uva Paranagama to Badulla town while residents in Hali Ela used it to cross over to the Central Province.
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- E G Anulawathi
E G Anulawathi from Bambarapana said that residents from 15 Grama Niladhari divisions use this bridge to reach Welimada town.
She said that the villagers using this bridge could reach the Welimada town traversing only 14km, whereas otherwise they would have to travel some 70km, spending about four hours.
“As using the route across the bridge is the shortest way, most make use of it, despite the risks.”
Samantha Vijith Kumara, 35, from Ellegama, Uva Paranagama, a farmer by profession, said that the bridge which connects the Uva Paranagama electorate to the Hali Ela electorate was constructed on a strong structure and consequently has been used for a long period and has also been turned into a tourist attraction.
A plaque put up near the bridge says that the British renovated the bridge in 1919 while about 10 years back the planks on the bridge were replaced.
Former State Minister Chamara Sampath Dassanayake had allocated Rs 4 million from the decentralised budget funds for the bridge, but the money was sent back to the Treasury on the grounds that the funds were not sufficient for the renovations, he said.
He said that the money should have been used to renovate the bridge at least to some extent.
He also said that in the recent past several persons have fallen off the bridge and injured themselves.
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