Chahlari (Sitapur / Bahraich):
For local residents, it isn’t a bridge too far.
Chahlari Ghat Bridge, UP’s longest over a river, has become an unlikely picnic spot, attracting families and youths to Sitapur and Bahraich, the two districts it connects.
The 3.26 km-long bridge is called the “mini Agra-Lucknow Expressway” by the people here. “That’s because it takes less than 10 minutes to drive over the stretch now …Earlier, someone travelling to the district (Bahraich) had to come via Mahmudabad, which took more than 90 minutes,” Vinay Mishra, the owner of a medical store, said.
“The bridge is being used by Samajwadi Party supporters to campaign for the candidate in Sevata and the word has spread,” said Akhilesh Bajpai, a businessman and social worker from Sevata.
Local candidate Shiv Kumar’s supporters started telling people to take a ride on the bridge for an Agra-Lucknow Expressway-like experience. Talking to TOI, a supporter, Ajay Singh, said, “Bridge saboot hai ki kaam hua hai … tabhi bolta hai. (The bridge is proof that work has been done, that’s why it speaks (for development).”
He said chief minister Akhilesh Yadav urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to drive down the Agra-Lucknow Expressway to see the work done by his party was the cue. In one of his speeches, the CM, in fact, had said that if the PM used the Agra-Lucknow Expressway once even he would vote for the Samajwadi Party. “If the PM can’t take the expressway, he can come here,” said another supporter, Rajesh Kumar.
Word of mouth turned the place into a picnic spot. On hearing about the place, Vimal Maurya and his friend Kishor Prajapati visited the place on Valentine’s Day. “Hum Sidhauli se aa rahe hain … check karne ki jo bola hai woh sachh hai ya nahi (We have come from Sidhauli to check if what is being said is true),” said Vimal, who was impressed.
Mohammed Kamil and his family came from Biswa for the sunset. “This is beautiful… Though not comparable with the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, the locals may surely get a feel,” he said.
Clicking selfies and taking pictures of the place, Haroon Rasheed, a marketing executive for a Bahraich-based solar panel manufacturer, even walked up to the old pontoon bridge. “Pipay ka pul toh ab itihas hai.. isliye photo kheech rahe hain,” he said, adding that he loved the bridge because it had added Sitapur market to his area.
Before the bridge was built, one had to take a boat across the Ghaghra and Sharda rivers to reach the other end.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Shailvee Sharda / TNN / February 18th, 2017