Overview

• More than 30 residents in Pelol village, Khunti, marked the two-month lapse by cutting a cake on the broken Banai river bridge to protest government inaction.
• The June 19 collapse on the Khunti–Torpa–Kolebira route severed a vital link, disrupting school commutes, emergency care, farm inputs and local trade.
• Villagers say no reconstruction or diversion has begun despite visits from leaders and a foundation stone for a diversion laid by MLA Ram Surya Munda with a July target.
• Viral images showed children scaling a 25-foot bamboo ladder to reach school before administrators intervened and promised an alternative that locals say has not appeared.
• Khunti’s deputy development commissioner says approvals are in place and work will begin post-monsoon, as residents warn they may build a temporary crossing using cement bags.