RAJBIRAJ: One dozen villages of Saptari district are facing problems to acquire daily necessities after the bridge over Khando River to the nearest market in India was damaged last week.

The bamboo bridge in Dashgaja of Tilathi Koilaadi Rural Municipality-1 was the sole medium for the locals of around one dozen villages in Saptari to cross the border into India to buy daily consumables from the Kunauli Bazaar of Sapaul district.

The locals had been using the makeshift bridge for their movement, however in the lack of it, they are facing difficulties to manage their commute to the nearest market, local Niraj Kumar said.

Villagers from Belhi, Tilathi, Sakarpura, Koiladi, Madhepura, Rampuramalhaniya, Barsain, Banarjhula, Lokharam, Ranjitpur, Gorgama among others in Saptari visit the Kunauli Bazaar for buying their daily necessities, he added. Despite the intricate connection through bread and family ties between the villagers of Saptari and Kunauli, the lack of one motorable bridge between the areas is unfortunate, said another local Dilip Ray.

Many locals of Saptari use Kunauli as a connecting point to visit other Indian cities like Darbhanga, Patna as well as Delhi for business, medical and other various purposes.

According to Arun Kumar Pradhan, Chief of Saptari Industry and Commerce Association, the Rajbiraj Bhansar is located beside Kunauli, and in the absence of a bridge local business are facing problems to import goods.

Locals claim that people used to cross Khando River in boat during the flood seasons some 20 years ago, however, the locals with the initiation of Jokhan Ray of Belhi village collected fund to build a bamboo bridge over it, making it some what easier to commute.

After the death of Jokhan, his relatives have been looking after the bridge, but in the lack of fund the bridge was neglected to the extent of being damaged. However, Tilaithi Koiladi Rural Municipality has declared to provide Rs 50,000 immediately to his grandson Ram Chandra for the bridge maintenance, informed Satish Kumar Singh, chair of the rural municipality.