Poll boycott for larger bridge in Parbhani

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Both village and nearby hamlets in Selu taluka of Parbhani witnessed no polling for the local self-governing body poll on Saturday, as all 466 voters boycotted the election to press for their demand for a bridge larger than the one approved by the authorities.None of the villagers turned up at the polling booth, even though local authorities tried to persuade them. Villagers claimed multiple lives had been lost due to the absence of a proper bridge on the local Karpara river."Recently, a pregnant woman lost her baby. She was being taken to a hospital in a bullock cart. There have also been incidents of snake bites and other accidents due to the absence of a bridge," Sunil Rathod, a villager, said.Block Development Officer for Selu, Uday Jadhav, said all efforts to convince villagers to cast their vote yielded no result. "We sanctioned Rs 50 lakh for construction of a bridge for Both village through funding from the DPDC. The inauguration of its work is scheduled once the model code of conduct is over. Villagers were, however, unhappy with the size of the bridge and demanded a larger bridge," he told ToI.Authorities said the bridge approved for the village is sufficient in size, and there is no merit in the villagers' demand.