BAJURA: As many as twenty five households in the most remote region in the district- Gumba Village - with no communication facilities - have lost contact with other communities after continuous snowfall since Tuesday.

“No one knows what has happened at Gumba village,” ward secretary Gauri Kanta Sanjal said, “We have no means of communicating with the families in the village.”

The village lacks even basic medical facilities and supplies.

What is even more striking is that not a single person from Gumba has established contact with authorities since last monsoon and the authorities have not visited the area either, Sanjal added. For the past two weeks, Gumba residents have been out of contact with nearby villages also.

The Gumba locals have to cross two rivers without bridges to reach nearby village of Baudi and it takes four days of walking from district headquarters Martadi to reach Gumba.

The village has become inaccessible after a treacherous narrow trail along the river was covered by 5 foot deep layer of snow. Moreover, commuting to Gumba comes with additional risks because of dense forests housing predators along the way, locals of Bichhya said.

Additionally, the state has never batted an eye to woes of Gumba residents as the region has neither roads nor bridges.

“We are not aware of any government and have no expectations,” a local said, “We are cut-off from the district and no one has listened to our plights, ever.”

Even the deputed government staffer, Ward Secretary Sanjal admits that he has never been to Gumba because it is remote.

“I have heard that it is far and plagued with troubles but I have never been there,” Sanjal said.

In absence of medical care, the residents of Gumba rely on natural remedies for treatment.

MORE FROM PRAKASH SINGH ON GUMBA, BAJURA:

• Gumba residents risking their lives to travel in Bajura District
• Landslide disrupts road to Gumba village in Bajura