NEW DELHI: Life for the residents of Danna Village at the Line of Control (LoC) in Machhal Sector changed for good on the eve of Independence Day. The Indian Army linked this Last Village on LoC in Machhal Sector, Kupwara District, of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) with 115 Feet Long Bridge.
The Indian Army said on Tuesday, "In the run-up to this year's Independence Day, gifted locals of Danna Village, the last village in Machhal Sector by dedicating a bridge across Machhal Nala.
The 115 feet long Bridge has been named as Bhagat Bridge in memory of Late Major Bhagat Singh, Veer Chakra, who laid down his life defending this sector in the 1965 war. Danna Village is also popularly known as Bhagat Village in memory of the brave son of India.
The bridge was dedicated to the villagers by Sepoy Mian Gul Khan, a ninety-year-old 1971 war veteran and a proud resident of the area in the presence of senior army officials and local dignitaries. The dedication event was also attended by children, women and elders of seven nearby villages.
Impressing the significance of this bridge an officer said that this will give a new lease of life to the people as "they had no place to hide when the firing used to take place as bunkers could not be built because there was no connection to this place."
There is no primary school and during the rainy season, it was not possible to cross the Nala.
"The bridge will provide succour to locals from the difficulties related to lack of connectivity across Machhal Nala, providing them with a means of sending their children to school and facilitating the move of sick and elders. The bridge will also encourage tourists to visit this pristine area." said the Army.
The bridge has been constructed by Indian Army Engineers who persistently toiled for two months in spite of incessant rains and adverse conditions.
#WATCH | Indian Army in the run-up to this year's Independence Day, gifted locals of Danna Village, on LoC in Machhal Sector by dedicating a bridge across Machhal Nala. The 115 feet long Bridge has been named as Bhagat Bridge in memory of Major Bhagat Singh, Veer Chakra, who… pic.twitter.com/XehZd9cI2U
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023The situation was completely different until February 23, 2021, when the Directors General Military Operations of India and Pakistan reiterated their commitment to the 2003 ceasefire agreement and decided to maintain peace at the de facto border.
Things witnessed a change since India and Pakistan decided to cease firing along the LoC and all other sectors, with effect from midnight of February 25, 2021.
Otherwise, the LoC has been active with firing, disturbing the life of the people on both sides. Peace at the LoC has enabled road repair work as large JCB machines are seen moving stones and filling the earth. "The machines would have been absent had the ceasefire agreement not been in place,"
India shares a 3,323 km border with Pakistan of which the length of the LoC is 740 km and runs from parts of Jammu to parts of Leh. The LoC is a ceasefire line which was delineated in the Simla Agreement (July 1972) whereby both sides agreed not to alter it unilaterally.
On this special occasion of the 77th Independence Day, the Army said, the inauguration of the bridge serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by the Indian Army to safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of the nation.
