A ladder could be used as a rudimentary bridge across a small river in an emergency, but it is not the sort of equipment you would normally have to use in order to cross a river.  Unfortunately, villagers in Venpala, India, found themselves having to use a ladder to cross the Manimala River after local authorities failed to secure the land to build approaches to a new bridge. The bridge was built last year at a cost of £340,000, but the Kerala State Construction Corporation stopped work after building the bridge itself after they learnt that the local authority had not acquired the land needed to build the approaches.

  With no way to reach the new bridge, the villagers on either side were forced to use a ferry to cross, meaning long waiting times.  The local civic council stepped in to provide a ladder that the villagers could use to reach the bridge, as the concrete structure has sheer sides and stands well above ground level.

A Ladder for Everyone

Children and the elderly alike have to use this ladder and despite action by the villagers, nothing has been done to move the construction forward.  A group of villagers have asked government ministers to intervene and another man has contacted the Kerala State Human Rights Commission alleging criminal negligence over the incomplete bridge.  Several villagers have agreed in writing to provide the required land, but still nothing happened. In May, the campaign to the Kerala State Human Rights Commission worked, and the authorities were ordered to immediately acquire the land and commence construction.  Two months later there seems to be no progress.  For now, it is a mystery why the bridge has not been completed and the villagers will have to use the ladder for the foreseeable future.