Students cross 20-foot-wide river using rope to get to school in Madhya Pradesh

Students crossing a river without a bridge, risking their lives to get to school. This is the scene depicted in a video from Madhya Pradesh that has gone viral on social media. The video is from a village in Madhya Pradesh called Gochpura in Guna district. This is the "short-cut" route for the students to reach their school as the main road connecting them to the institution is not in a condition to enable commuting, according to a report by IANS.

The river has no bridge and students are seen using ropes to help them cross it. The ropes are tied to two trees on either side of the river, which flows between the village and agricultural fields. The river runs six feet deep and is almost 20 feet wide. The Gochpura village is about 60 kilometres from the district headquarters. 

The video shows people, including school students, hanging on to the rope, struggling to maintain their balance as they attempt to cross it. According to IANS, authorities swung into action after the video went viral. Naib Tehsildar Shailja Mishra told media persons that she has been apprised of the matter, adding that senior officials went to counsel the villagers and convince them not to cross the river on ropes. The ropes across the river have been cut, while directions have been issued to use the main commuting route.