A ribbon-cutting ceremony honoured the occasion, marking the official opening of the bridge for usage by the residents.
Aug. 15 (Srinagar): Danna hamlet is the final settlement on the Line of Control (LoC) in the Machhal sector of the northern Kupwara region, and today the Indian Army dedicated a bridge across the Machhal Nala as a ‘Independence Day gift’ to the people who live there, according to an army official in Srinagar.
The bridge, which is 115 feet long, was named after Major Bhagat Singh, Veer Chakra, who died protecting the area during the 1965 war.
He mentioned that in honour of the valiant Indian son, the village of Danna is also referred to as Bhagat Village.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony honoured the occasion, marking the official opening of the bridge for usage by the residents.
The official announced that the ribbon was cut by Sep Mian Gul Khan, a proud local resident and ninety-year-old veteran of the 1971 war, in the presence of Indian Army personnel and other local dignitaries.
He noted that the bridge was the result of two months of hard work by Indian Army engineers who, despite constant rain and other obstacles, were determined to build a solution for the people’ problems with accessing the other side of Machhal Nala.
“This bridge is testament of Indian Army’s commitment to people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he continued, “whether it be defending the borders or supporting them towards building a prosperous and peaceful Kashmir.”
Children, women, and elders from the seven communities that will be served by the bridge attended the dedication ceremony. The residents expressed their deep gratitude to the Indian Army for helping them relocate their sick and elderly and sending their youngsters to school. They believed that this would attract sightseers to their untouched region.
The commissioning of the bridge on this momentous occasion, just before the country celebrates its 77th Independence Day, is a sobering reminder of the efforts of the Indian Army to protect India’s independence and territorial integrity. The Army’s commitment to building lasting relationships with local communities and making genuine efforts to improve their quality of life has been reaffirmed, the spokesman went on to say.
