Baglung, January 21:

The very fame of being the district of suspension bridges has been an irony for Baglung: the bridges are in a deplorable condition in the lack of maintenance.

Fifteen per cent of the suspension bridges run a risk of collapse in the district. There are 115 modern suspension bridges and 500 wooden bridges in the district.

Most of the bridges are in need of repair. District Technical Office said that it has been repairing the bridges. There are 15 people trained for the construction of suspension bridges in the district, officials said.

The modern suspension bridges were constructed under the Local Suspension Bridge Construction Programme of the Swiss government.

“The government may not have shown interest in repairing the bridges as most of them fall in the rural areas,” Harka Kayat of Neesi VDC said.

The Kathmandu-based Suspension Bridge sub-Division office has allocated Rs 4 million for the repair of the bridges this year.

The suspension bridge at Bhusungeghat of Bowang VDC that collapsed three years ago has not been repaired yet. People of Rolpa, Rukum and Dolpa districts are affected in the lack of its repair, locals said.

Constructing new bridges and repairing old ones has become a tough task in the lack of funds, the technical office said.