Meet Major Sita Shelke, Officer Who Led The Army Unit That Built Wayanad Bridge

Major Sita Ashok Shelke is the only woman officer in the team comprising 70 male officers from the Army's Madras Engineering Group of Bengaluru. A photo of the woman Indian Army officer standing proudly on the railings of the newly constructed Bailey Bridge in the landslide-stricken Chooralmala village of Kerala's Wayanad has gained widespread attention on social media. The digital platforms are flooded with congratulatory messages saluting the Indian Army and the officer for her bravery and commitment as images of Major Shelke, stand out amid numerous pictures of the disaster's devastation. 

Major Shelke breaks stereotypical barriers relentlessly

The Madras Engineer Group (MEG) and Centre overcame loads of debris, uprooted trees, and a rapidly flowing river to complete the construction of the bridge in just 31 hours, and Major Seeta Ashok Shelke was there leading the group of soldiers as they worked tirelessly. 

She hails from Gadilgaon Village, Ahmed Nagar in Maharashtra, and is interestingly known as the ‘Madras Sappers’, this engineering unit is tasked with clearing the way for the Army, building bridges, with other tasks like finding and defusing landmines during a war front. Moreover, the unit also assists in urgent rescue operations during natural disasters and was very active in Kerala during the 2018 floods.

However, she does not consider the successful construction of the bridge as a success story of the Army alone. "I must convey my thanks to all the local authorities, state officials, and everyone who has helped us from different places. Special thanks to the locals, villagers, and state officials," Major Sita Shelke said to PTI.

The courageous soldier has been relentlessly working in the disaster-hit areas, attending to every exigency, foregoing sleep, and even regular meals. She and her team have worked tirelessly so that many people could be saved and the bodies of the dead could be recovered without much delay.

The construction faced significant challenges due to heavy rainfall and limited space for the bridge construction. Despite these obstacles, Major Shelke and her team managed to ensure the successful construction of the bridge, which remains the only route for ongoing rescue operations.

As it is rightly claimed by her, she was not ready to restrict herself to gender roles and has been working on similar terms as her male colleagues in the landslide site. I don’t consider myself only as a woman; I am a soldier. I am here as a representative of the Indian Army and take immense pride in being a part of this launching team,” a tireless-looking Shelke told PTI while hurrying to rush to another spot where her colleagues were engaged in rescue work.