The flooded bridge was not rebuilt

The people have been forced to suffer due to the lack of reconstruction of the bridge over the river Kamala. The bridge over the Kamala River connecting Dhanusha and Siraha under the postal road, which is the lifeline of Tarai-Madhesh, was washed away by the floods on July 15.

The locals have demanded immediate reconstruction saying that the bridge is suffering due to lack of reconstruction. "Reconstruction work of the bridge has not started yet due to the negligence of the contractor company," said Sathrudhan Sah of Kamala Municipality-5, Dhanusha.

He said that even in the light rain, pedestrians are having difficulty in walking even if the Xanten two-wheeler is running in the dry season. The spur on the east side was washed away due to the flood. A few days later, the spur on the west side was also washed away. Kamlesh Yadav of Siraha Municipality-11 said, "There is a big problem in crossing the bridge from the bridge." He has complained that the contractor company has not paid attention to the reconstruction of the flooded bridge even though the people have been suffering a lot.

Pappu-Lumbini Builders had won the contract in 2068 BS for the construction of 470 meters long bridge. In the beginning, only Pappu worked. Lumbini Builders did the rest of the work when Pappu, who had completed about 35 percent of the work, withdrew his hand after seeing a loss. The bridge was supposed to be completed in 42 months but it was completed only after 10 years. Locals in the area have become frustrated after being swept away without any transfer.

A few days ago, the Kamala Reservoir Protection Campaign handed over a memorandum to the then Chief District Officer of Dhanusha, Bandhu Prasad Banstola, demanding a high-level investigation. Former Minister Ram Chandra Jha said that the bridge was washed away due to wrong design.

Residents of more than a dozen villages in Siraha have been forced to make risky journeys due to the failure to build a bridge over the Gagan River even though the road from Bariyarpatti to the western district headquarters Siraha has been tarred. Locals have complained that even 10 percent of the work has not been completed even after one year of construction of the bridge.

Danalal Yadav, side in-charge of construction company Roshan Construction, said that the work has been started as per the agreement. "We have started the construction work of the bridge from January, 2077 BS after signing the agreement," said Yadav. "The work has been stopped after the onset of rains. He said that the work of the bridge could not be carried out as the river could flood at any time.