DHANGADI, SEPTEMBER 13
Locals of Mohanpur, Haushalpur, and Shivaratnapur of Kailari Rural Municipality have been facing problems reaching another settlement due to lack of bridge over the Mohana River along the Nepal-India border in Kailali.
Bir Mal Chaudhary, a local of the rural municipality, could not take his daughter to hospital on time due to lack of bridge. The village is 25 kilometres away from Dhangadi Hospital.
He is compelled to travel 85 kilometres to reach Dhangadi through India's Paliya for treatment. Chaudhary said he was compelled to use the Indian road to reach Dhangadi.
Locals have been facing this problem, especially in the rainy season, due to lack of bridge. They said they had to depend on the Indian market for daily essentials, medicines and treatment, among other things.
Another local Saitu Ram Chaudhary said the villagers could not take serious patients and pregnant women to hospital due to the flooded river.
"The government has paid no attention to addressing the problems of people in border areas," he added.
He said that they had arranged a boat to cross the river. "But the boat could not be operate during flood in the river," he said. The locals stayed in the Indian forest after the flooded Mohana River inundated the human settlement.
Raju Chaudhary of Shivaratnapur said the state did not even build a suspension bridge over the river. Kamal Chaudhary added that villagers could not reach the ward office, nor the rural municipality office due to the same reason.
There are 88 households in Mohanpur and 84 in Shivaratnapur.
There are no health posts, vaccination centres or schools in these villages.
Sita Chaudhary said children were deprived of regular vaccines.
The locals in the areas are compelled to go to the Indian market to buy daily essentials. The children go to Indian schools.
Gita Kathariya, a student at Saraswati Sisu Vidyamandir in Belaparsawa, India, said that she wanted to study in Nepal, but had no option.
She said that she did not know the Nepali language.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 14 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
