SIRAHA, DECEMBER 19
A sit-in was staged in front of District Administration Office, Siraha, seeking reconstruction of a bridge over the Kamala River. The bridge linking Dhanusha and Siraha on the postal highway was built and was ready for inauguration when it collapsed more than a year ago.
Citing lack of repair of the bridge for eighteen long months now, Postal Road Struggle Committee carried out the protest today, in front of the gate of the administration office.
"Though everyone wants the bridge to be repaired, it's sad that we have failed to make our demand loud and clear," said the struggle committee Coordinator Ramrijhan Yadav, who is also a writer and social activist.
"Everyone claims to care about the condition of the bridge, but when it comes to making a unified voice and calling for action, hardly anyone turns up," he said, following the sit-in today.
Yadav particularly rued the absence of leaders, saying such apathetic attitude is never conducive for prosperity and development.
The pillar of the bridge said to be ready for inauguration following its completion suffered damage after its pillar sank in the floods last year.
In the wake of the incident, a makeshift bridge was made over the river with bamboo and every day hundreds of people are forced to risk their lives crossing the bamboo bridge.
A version of this article appears in the print on December 20, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
