Residents of Dar Ganie Gund, Nagnaad and Heevan Yangvani villages in Aripal tehsil of Tral area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district are facing immense hardships due to absence of a bridge over a local stream.Situated in the foothills of Vasturvan forest, Nagnaad, Heevan and Dar Ganie Gund are tiny hamlets that remains cut off from the Tehsil Aripal during rains as the area lacks an all-weather connectivity. People of the area said everyday they walk over a makeshift wooden bridge to cross the stream to reach the nearest market.“The only wish of the people in the area is better road communication – a bridge over the stream – as it will end one of their major problems. It becomes extremely difficult for the people to cross the stream, which swells up during the rainy season,” said Lumberdar of Dar Ganie Gund , a local resident.The locals said that every year, they construct a temporary bridge over the stream but during the rainy season the gushing waters wash away the bridge, leaving people with no option to cross the stream. “During rains, the area remains cut off among each other.The residents of Nagnaad Gojer Basti said that several people over the years have lost their lives due to lack of a connecting link, as they could not get the timely medical attention. “Had there been a bridge, several people would have survived,” they said, adding: “only we know how we risk our lives every time we cross the river during the rainy season.It’s the pregnant women and patients who are the worst sufferers. The locals also said that they have repeatedly raised the issues with the authorities but the authority paid deaf ear. (PTK)