# Solan students cross swollen khad on iron pipes to reach school 2026-08-18T11:04:58+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Schoolchildren in Sunnu Tikri village in Himachal Pradesh's Solan district are crossing the swollen Ashwani Khad on discarded iron pipes and a rope trolley to reach school, a Times Now Navbharat ground report has found. Villagers say a permanent bridge has been repeatedly promised but never built. A video of the crossing went viral online. The report states children from Classes 1 to 12 must travel about a kilometre to Dhole Ka Jubbar School after the local government primary school, in operation since 1949, was merged in July 2025 due to falling enrolment. During heavy monsoon rains, the water level and current increase sharply. Younger children are carried by parents or older students, while others hold hands in a human chain. According to residents, proposals for three bridges at Sunnu Tikri, Gyura and Kyar were made earlier. Bridges at two locations were constructed, but the Sunnu Tikri bridge allegedly remained on paper. Residents are demanding immediate action to build a permanent bridge. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Times Now Navbharat ground report frames the story through a crisis lens, leading with the viral video and the drama of children risking their lives. The report foregrounds the failure of authorities: a bridge was promised but remained 'confined to official paperwork' while two other bridges in neighbouring hamlets were built. The contrast between official inaction and the makeshift pipes-and-rope solution is the central accusation. The measured read is that the school merger (July 2025) created the current crossing necessity, but the core demand, a permanent bridge at Sunnu Tikri, is a long-standing infrastructure gap. What to watch: whether the viral attention and fresh reporting force a timeline for construction from the state public works department. ## Coverage Coverage: 1 source, 1 government-critical - timesnownews.com (government critical) Leads with viral video and ground-visit drama, frames story as official neglect of promised bridge This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Ashwani Khad, Himachal Pradesh, Solan, TIMES NOW Navbharat Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/solan-students-cross-swollen-khad-on-iron-pipes-to-reach-school/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/solan-students-cross-swollen-khad-on-iron-pipes-to-reach-school/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/