The long-awaited re-linking of Hampi and Anegundi, considered to be the ‘cradle of the Vijayanagar empire’, will materialise soon as the construction of a bridge across the Tungabhadra is nearing completion.
The work on the 487.5-metre long bridge between Bukkasagar on the Hampi side and Kadebagilu on Anegundi side, has been completed. The work of laying approach roads on either side and the construction of protection walls for the bridge was pending and is expected to be completed by February 2016.
The bridge, after completion, will not only give a boost to tourism but also will help the economic growth of the region, particularly Koppal district. It will give better access to two historically important places besides easing the movement of agricultural produces grown in Koppal district including paddy, rice, banana, among other things.
Tourists visiting Hampi used to skip Anegundi, which is also part of the world heritage site, for want of easy access. Either they had to get ferried in coracles, which was considered risky, or take a circuitous route.
Considering the plight of the people, the then Congress government, headed by Veerappa Moily, decided to re-establish the link between the two places in 1993-94 by constructing a modern two-way cable stayed bridge. The work began in 1996 and almost 80 percent of it had been completed by 1999. Laying of a 24-metre girder was all that was pending. But the work had to be suspended following objections from United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), which apprehended that the modern bridge would not complement the world heritage site on one hand and that the ancient monuments would be threatened with the movement of heavy vehicular traffic on the other.
The UNESCO, while placing Hampi in the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger, had suggested that the bridge could be constructed further downstream to avoid the threats to monuments and to the natural landscape.
However, after much persuasion, UNESCO gave its nod to complete the bridge with directions to take up several corrective measures. The State government complied with it and started the work. Unfortunately, the entire bridge collapsed in January 2009, in which eight labourers died and a few were injured.
Ejaj Hussain, Superintending Engineer Ballari circle, told The Hindu that the work on the bridge was going on as per schedule and was expected to be completed by March 2016.
