The old Sardiha foot over bridge in Jhargram, linked to the filming of Uttam Kumar’s 1974 movie ‘Bagh Bandi Khela’, is being dismantled after railway authorities deemed it unsafe. Work to remove the structure began a few days ago, even as local residents and tourism businesses express disappointment that a site associated with the actor’s legacy could not be preserved.
The bridge was built in 1955 at Sardiha railway station in Manikpara mouza and had been in use for more than five decades. A new foot over bridge was constructed at the station about a year ago, after which passenger movement across the old structure was stopped.
Sardiha station and its surrounding areas served as filming locations for ‘Bagh Bandi Khela’, directed by Pijush Bose. In the film, Sardiha was presented as Ranipur railway station. The old foot over bridge was also used during the shooting, according to local accounts reported by Sangbad Pratidin.
Local resident Debashis Bandyopadhyay, who was a Class XI student at Manikpara High School when the filming took place, said he had watched Uttam Kumar, Partha Mukherjee and other members of the film unit at close range during the three-day shoot in 1974. He told the publication that he had appealed to different railway authorities to retain the bridge, but without success.
The bridge’s association with the film has remained part of local memory. Bandyopadhyay said retaining it would have been preferable, particularly during the centenary year associated with Uttam Kumar. His account also connects the structure to the experience of residents who gathered at Sardiha station to watch the filming nearly five decades ago.
Madhusudan Karmakar, president of the Jhargram Hotel Owners’ Association, said the historical connection attracted tourists. He said preserving the location could have turned it into a tourism asset for the district. The comments underline the tension between railway safety requirements and the preservation of informal or locally valued heritage linked to public infrastructure.
A South Eastern Railway official, quoted by Sangbad Pratidin, said passenger movement on the old foot over bridge had already been stopped after the new bridge was built because the older structure was dangerous. The official said the decision to dismantle it was now being implemented. No alternative preservation plan for the old bridge was mentioned in the report.
