Protest against bureaucracy and red tapism in India is not uncommon. But, not often will you see a bunch of people rising up against it to make a difference.
Villagers from Haryana's Sirsa district just set a perfect example for the rest of us by crowdfunding Rs 1 crore to build a bridge for their daily commute.
According to an Economic Times report, Haryana villagers wanted a bridge over Ghaggar river so that they could reach Sirsa town with their farm produce faster to get easier access to markets in Punjab. When their plea to politicians and bureaucrats fell on deaf ears, they teamed up to built a 250-foot-long, 14-foot-wide bridge.
The bridge connects Aleeka and Panihari villages to Sirsa.
One of the villagers, Hardev Singh, told Economic Times that they are not inviting any politicians for the inauguration.
"For us, a labourer who contributed Rs 500 and a widow who contributed her pension of Rs 1,000 are more important than those who fooled us for more than three decades,'' he said.
Hardev Singh was the man who came up with the idea of building the bridge. On a visit to Rajasthan, Singh came across an engineer who was supervising construction of a government bridge. Singh then discussed the idea with his fellow villagers and decided to make their own bridge.
The construction work that started in April last year, is near completion now. Once completed, the bridge will be a lifeline for 1.25 lakh people.
Recently, fed up with the civic authorities who failed to repair a pothole in the middle of the Sulthanpalya Main Road in north Bangalore, artist Baadal Nanjundaswamy turned the giant pothole into an artificial pond by planting the life sized crocodile in it.
After his pictures grabbed some attention on social media, the Bangalore municipal corporation covered up the pothole in just a day.
If you had doubts about the power of 'Aam Aadmi', the Haryana villagers story will make you believe otherwise.
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Villagers from Haryana's Sirsa district just set a perfect example for the rest of us by crowdfunding Rs 1 crore to build a bridge for their daily commute.
According to an Economic Times report, Haryana villagers wanted a bridge over Ghaggar river so that they could reach Sirsa town with their farm produce faster to get easier access to markets in Punjab. When their plea to politicians and bureaucrats fell on deaf ears, they teamed up to built a 250-foot-long, 14-foot-wide bridge.
The bridge connects Aleeka and Panihari villages to Sirsa.
One of the villagers, Hardev Singh, told Economic Times that they are not inviting any politicians for the inauguration.
"For us, a labourer who contributed Rs 500 and a widow who contributed her pension of Rs 1,000 are more important than those who fooled us for more than three decades,'' he said.
Hardev Singh was the man who came up with the idea of building the bridge. On a visit to Rajasthan, Singh came across an engineer who was supervising construction of a government bridge. Singh then discussed the idea with his fellow villagers and decided to make their own bridge.
The construction work that started in April last year, is near completion now. Once completed, the bridge will be a lifeline for 1.25 lakh people.
Recently, fed up with the civic authorities who failed to repair a pothole in the middle of the Sulthanpalya Main Road in north Bangalore, artist Baadal Nanjundaswamy turned the giant pothole into an artificial pond by planting the life sized crocodile in it.
After his pictures grabbed some attention on social media, the Bangalore municipal corporation covered up the pothole in just a day.
If you had doubts about the power of 'Aam Aadmi', the Haryana villagers story will make you believe otherwise.
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