Bharatpur, Nov. 28 -- Hundreds of students in Dholpur district are forced to cross a masonry check dam built on the Parvati river every day to reach school, risking their lives due to the absence of a connecting road or bridge, locals have complained. Nearly two dozen villages and hamlets of Nidhera Kalan under Maniya tehsil lie along the riverbank. Children from Ajaypura, Khaimara, Jagirpura, Panchhipura, Kharagpur and Bhura Ka Pura travel across the check dam to reach the government school in Bothpura Gram Panchayat. The Parvati river flows between Nidhera Kalan and Bothpura gram panchayats. After completing primary education in Nidhera Kalan, students have to attend the senior secondary school located in Bothpura village. There is no road connecting the two panchayats, said locals, adding that the problem worsens during monsoon, when the river swells and students from Nidhera Kalan are unable to attend school for several weeks. Mohan Singh, a local, said that around two dozen villages lacked connectivity to Bothpura, forcing children to walk across the check dam's narrow ramparts. Last year, four girl students drowned while attempting to cross the structure, he said. While the school is barely 500 metres away via the check dam, students are compelled to take a 35-kilometre detour through the national highway if they try to avoid the river, said locals. Ajaypura village has an Upper Primary School, but students must travel to Bothpura for senior secondary classes after completing middle school. Locals said the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government built the check dam on the Parvati river in 2019 to address water scarcity. The structure improved water availability, but in the absence of a bridge, villagers have repeatedly written to the chief minister demanding a safe crossing. Due to the lack of a bridge, students continue to walk across the structure to reach the state-run Mahatma Gandhi Higher Secondary School in Bothpura. Currently, with half-yearly exams underway, students still have no choice but to cross the structure. Maniya Tehsildar Jagveer Singh said he was unaware of the situation as he had only recently taken charge. "An overbridge is needed here. A proposal will be forwarded to senior officials," he said. Rajakhera MLA Rohit Bohra said that Bhura Ka Pura panchayat falls under his constituency, where he has already sanctioned a senior secondary school. "Students from another constituency also come here for education. Nidhera Kalan panchayat falls under the Dholpur constituency, and students from there are forced to cross the river to reach the school located in my area," he said.Dholpur district collector, Sreenidhi BT did not respond to repeated requests for comment....