No bridges: Student's death exposes villagers' risks of crossing rivers in Vizianagaram

Vizianagaram: The extensive search for the 14-year-old-boy who went missing in the river Vegavathi while he was crossing it to go to school in Maruvada village in Vizianagaram district on Friday ended on Saturday afternoon after his body was found in the waters.

The incident once again exposed the risk of crossing rivers and rivulets due to the lack of bridges in north coastal Andhra Pradesh.

The victim was identified as Chowdari Srinivasa Rao, a class VIII student of ZPH School, Maruvada village, and a resident of Chowdarivalasa village under Vangara police station limits in Vizianagaram district.

The police said the school and the village are located on opposite banks of the river. The locals said Srinivasa along with two other students were on their way to school on Friday morning. A shepherd, Mahesh, who was taking a bath in the river, helped two of them reach the other side of the river which was in spate due to recent heavy rains.

However, Srinivasa tried to follow Mahesh and cross the river, but he was caught in the waters due to the strong current and he went missing in the waters.

The locals said the distance through a motorable road to reach Maruvada village from Chowdarivalasa village is around 8 km, while crossing the river on foot cuts down the distance by more than 6 km. The villagers have been crossing the river for the past few years to reach Maruvada for medical, education, and other needs.

Sub-inspector of Vangara K. Lokesh said Srinivasa was washed away in the waters while he was crossing the river. "We retrieved the body of the victim from the waters on Saturday afternoon after hours of extensive search. The body was found around 2km from the spot where the boy went missing. The body was sent for post-mortem," he said.

The residents of Chowdarivalasa have been crossing the river on foot for the past few decades due to the lack of a bridge. Owing to the lack of a bridge, students and farmers have been risking their lives every day to reach their destinations. The locals have decided to intensify their agitation for a bridge over the river Vegavathi.

It may be recalled that a video of a 21-year-old woman, T. Kalavathi, from Marrivalasa village under Gajapathinagaram mandal crossing the river Champavathi in Vizianagaram district in a dangerous manner with the support of her relatives to attend an urgent work in Vizag city went viral on social media. The video exposed the dangers that arise due to the absence of bridges in the district.