Push to replace Tunga bridge with flyover draws opposition from heritage activists

Shivamogga: A proposal by Congress leader HC Yogesh to demolish the historic Tunga River bridge and replace it with a flyover has drawn opposition from historians and heritage activists.

Yogesh, along with other leaders, Wednesday, submitted a memorandum the minister of public works department, Satish Jarkiholi, seeking immediate demolition of the bridge and construction of a flyover at the same site. He said the structure suffered severe damage during the 2019 floods and has since been restricted to light motor vehicles.

The delegation said the restriction has led to traffic gridlocks and commercial bottlenecks, affecting urban expansion. It urged allocation of Rs 40 crore from the state’s Rs 2,000 crore bridge restoration budget for the current fiscal to build a flyover and restore heavy vehicle movement.

Speaking to TOI, Yogesh said the minister inspected the bridge during his visit. “He promised immediate allocation of funds to start the work,” he said. Jarkiholi assured the construction of a flyover at the site following the memorandum, according to Yogesh.

The proposal has been opposed by historian and archaeologist Ajay Kumar Sharma and other heritage activists.

While acknowledging the need for infrastructure, Sharma said the structure should be preserved as a heritage monument and that a flyover should be built at an alternative location nearby. He disputed claims that the bridge was constructed between 1868 and 1871 under Sir James Davidson Gordon and Colonel Stokes.

Citing archival research, including Lewin Bentham Bowring’s 1871 work Eastern Experiences, Sharma said the bridge dates to 1850-1851 during the administration of British Commissioner Sir Mark Cubbon. He said the Tunga crossing, under the legacy of the Keladi Nayakas, marked an early milestone in infrastructure development in Malnad.

Heritage activists said such structures are protected elsewhere by rerouting roads rather than demolishing them and warned that demolition would erase Shivamogga’s historical identity.

Yogesh said there was no alternative space and that demolition was inevitable.