Showing rare guts and courage, adventure lover Tilak Soni from Uttarkashi successfully crossed a narrow wooden pedestrian bridge- which was abandoned post 1962 Indo-China war.

He possibly became the first ever person to walk on the 105 Mts long bridge after over fifty year. The bridge is located in Bahairoghati and was used for cross border trade but after the war it was deserted for over half a decade. 

The 1962 war put a ban on the entry of civilians in the Nelong valley , as Indian army established their base there. Locals from Jaduhn and other villages of Nelong valley were moved out to be relocated in Dunda and its nearby places in Uttarkashi.

It is estimated that the pedestrian bridge, located on the Gartang Gulley, is over a century old and Pathans from Peshawar were used for the challenging assignment.  The work was daunting as the challenge was to cut  granite stone on a vertical wall to make the architectural marvel. Traders used to move on the bridge with mules and yaks. 

Tilak Soni says, “I did a recce of the bridge on 8 April and conducted a tour of top brass of Uttarkashi administration on 11 April. I moved slowly and cautiously. I found that the bridge is strong and required minor repair work. Some railings have got damaged and leaving a small portion, the bridge moves on solid rock base.”

Walking on an unused bridge possibly for over half a decade was not easy. Moving slowly and taking every step by taking every safety precaution, Tilak Soni have crossed the wooden bridge twice recently. Located an altitude of 10,000 Ft above sea level, a small mistake could have turned fatal as the bridge is on a vertical wall with no cover. Though wood railing prevails but you can’t depend on it.  About 400 Mts down flows the Jhanvi river. The technique adopted was to move as close as possible to the rock wall. 

This excursion is not weak hearted people and offers more excitement than sky walking. Soni conducted a tour of Uttarkashi District Magistrate Ashish Kumar and SDM (Bhatwari) Nikita Khandelwal and other staff recently. The area is part of the Gangotri National Park and even the forest department staff never showed any interest in using the pedestrian bridge. The forest staff did spotted some wild animals like beer and deer on the bridge, but never witnessed any human movement on it. No record of army using the narrow 4 feet wide and 105 Mts long bridge prevails. 

After remaining close for tourists for over half a decade, the Nelong valley was opened for tourists in 2016. To reach the pedestrian bridge a tourist will have to undertake a trek of 2 kms from Bahairoghati.