For people of Jagata, a village in Hongada Halla panchayat in Sakleshpur taluk, it is a tough task to get connected to the outer world. They have to walk for about 3 km to reach Hongada Halla, to catch a bus. The residents, with no transport facilities, are dependent on their relatives in other places for their children’s schooling.
When it rains, it is difficult to reach even their farmland, located on the other side of a stream, that divides the village. The villagers have found their own way to cross the stream by having a bridge made of rope and other material available locally.
Yogesh, a resident of the village, told The Hindu that with no transport facility to his village he had to take his two children to Somwarpet in Kodagu district and made them stay with relatives and study. “Like me, many have sent their children to their relatives’ houses at distant places. A few have kept them in hostels,” he said.
Recently, road work was sanctioned to connect the village with Hongada Halla. Of the total ₹1 crore sanctioned, work worth ₹60 lakh has been completed. The villagers are hoping that once the road work is completed, bus services would start.
Around 20 families reside in the village. Among them, two families have to cross the stream to reach their houses.
“During summer, there is no problem with crossing the stream, but in the rainy season, we have our own footbridge made of locally available material. Every year, we get a new footbridge,” said Praveen Jagata, a native of Jagata, who now resides in Bengaluru.
The villagers said that they need road connectivity to Mayanuru village, about 5 km away. “If our village is connected to Mayanur, we can reach Bisale- Kukke Subrahmanya highway by travelling about 20 km. Now we have to travel more than 50 km to reach Bisale,” said Praveen.
