Uttarakhand bride walks 18 km in lehenga, appeals to CM Dhami for road connectivity

A bride walked 18 kilometres to Undava and appealed to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for a road. Her journey renewed attention on the village's long-standing connectivity and healthcare access problems.Uttarakhand bride walks 18 km in lehenga, appeals to CM Dhami for road connectivityUttarakhand,Oct 23, 2026 11:09 ISTA bride in Uttarakhand’s Chakrata had to walk around 18 kilometres through rough terrain to reach her in-laws’ home, turning her wedding journey into an appeal for a basic necessity: a road to her village.Sharmila was travelling with a wedding procession from Bulhar village to Undava, a remote settlement near Dehradun, when the lack of road connectivity forced her to cover the final stretch on foot.The incident took place last Tuesday, when she began the trek from Lokhandi. Dressed in a heavy bridal lehenga, she was seen walking briskly along the uneven path, keen to reach her new home in time for the auspicious muhurat for her griha pravesh ceremony.A video recorded by villagers showed the exhausted bride appealing directly to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. She explained that she was walking from Lokhandi to Undava and urged the Chief Minister to build a road so that residents would not have to endure similar difficulties in the future. Watch the video here:The video circulated on social media, bringing renewed attention to the challenges faced by residents of the remote village. Despite decades having passed since Independence, Undava continues to lack road connectivity, affecting everyday life as well as important occasions such as weddings. The absence of roads in Uttarakhand’s hilly areas has also raised concerns over access to essential services, particularly for elderly residents, patients and pregnant women who may struggle to reach medical facilities.The issue is not new. Several reports highlighted the lack of road connectivity in Undava and difficulties faced by residents of other remote villages, including Handi Kandi, where people struggled to reach hospitals during bad weather.- Ends