Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Sep 30: The Netravati bridge at Ullal goes to prove that solution to one problem creates another problem. The protective fencing for the bridge had been built to stop people who end lives by jumping into the river below. However now, plastic bags full of garbage are seen hanging from the barbed wire fences. These bags seem to be making a mockery of the very system.

The demand for protective fencing at the Netravati Bridge at Ullal had been prevalent since long, but the demand became intense after Cafe Coffee Day owner, Siddharth, jumped to his doom from here. Later, police were posted but they could not contain the people determined to end their lives. As the suicides became more and more, the protective fencing was built.

At the sametime, the bridge is becoming the favourite spot for people who dispose of their waste into the river. Bringing garbage by vehicles and pouring them into the river from atop the bridge has been an old practice. Now, because of the protective wall, some bags which are tossed by the people get entangled in the wire fencing and hang from there. This provides an ugly look. There is therefore a strong demand for the installation of CCTV cameras so that those who deface the bridge can be brought to book.

Social activists Nasir Nadupadavu, and Devanna Shetty Konaje, have said that it is the responsibility of the people to keep the environment clean. They have reminded the people that disposing of waste in the river poses danger to the humans. They want the district administration to act tough.