DAMAULI, AUGUST 2

In a country where many people still cross rivers risking their lives due to lack of bridges, the news of a bridge being constructed at a place without any road has drawn quite a lot of attention.

The decision of former provincial minister Ram Sharan Basnet to construct a motorable bridge at a place with no road in Gorkha has drawn public ridicule. The bridge is under-construction over the Daraudi River on the border of Nareshwor of Gorkha and Jarewar of Siranchowk, but it is not linked by road.

'Bridge construction in the wilderness at a cost of 50 million rupees is making a mockery of our leaders and their socalled priorities,' said a local.

Another local Krishna Bahadur Kumal described the bridge construction as misuse of budget. 'The ex-minister seems to have constructed the bridge perhaps to link his field across the river,' Kumal quipped, wondering how the bridge construction was initiated without discussion with any stakeholder. What is interesting is, there is also a suspension bridge near the site where the motorable bridge is being constructed.

When asked about it, Physical Infrastructure Office, Gorkha, Chief Omraj Dhungana admitted that a bridge was under-construction on Jarewar-Nareshwor-Gorkha bazaar road, adding the bridge was being constructed at a cost of 50 million rupees and was expected to be completed in five months. While the former minister claimed construction of the bridge was in the interest of locals, Ward No 3 Chair of Gorkha Municipality Chul Bahadur Kunwar defended the bridge construction, calling it an important infrastructure for locals.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 3, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.