After years of waiting, there are signs of a revival in the stalled work on the parallel bridge, which is an alternative to the Rajaram Barrage.
When the Panchaganga river rises above the 16-foot mark at Rajaram Barrage, the route is closed, forcing thousands of residents of Kasba Bawda, Vadange, Nigave, Bhuye, Bhuyewadi, Kushire, Chikhali and Ambewadi, among other areas, to take a detour of 8-10km during the monsoon. Abhijeet Sawant, a villager from Bhuyewadi, said, “Every year Rajaram barrage due to its low height gets submerged for around three to four times in monsoon for around two to three month period causing extreme inconvenience to daily commuters to Kolhapur city. The route is a crucial link between Kolhapur city and several rural areas. We are forced to take a longer route to reach Kolhapur city increasing our cost and time. The construction of parallel bridge to Rajaram barrage of completed, will be a great releif for the commuters. ”