Last week of December, 25-year-old Tek Giri of Thalara rural municipality-1 was returning home from Deura market of Kedarsyun rural municipality. He lost his balance and fell into the river while crossing the Seti river which connects Kedarsyun and Thalara Rural Municipality. After 23 days, his body was found in Boribagar in Doti district.

Two years ago, a local of Bhatt tribe also fell into the seti while crossing the Kathesanghu. His body was found 19 days later. After the flood of October 2078 swept away the suspension bridge, the locals are struggling to move to the Deura market in Kedarsyun, which is the commercial center of Doti, Baitadi and Bajhang.

In the absence of a bridge, the residents of Thalara in Bajhang, Sayal and Adarsh ​​Rural Municipality in Doti and Sigas Rural Municipality in Baitadi have to walk all day to reach Deura during the rainy season. Because there is no bridge, the local farmers have been wasting their produce without selling it. There are problems in selling local products, taking medicine and buying daily consumables. The education of more than 150 students of Thalara studying in Betal Secondary School in Deura is being affected.

Even though a contract was signed for the construction of a new suspension bridge at this place in March 2079, the construction work has not been completed yet. The contract was awarded through the Local Infrastructure Development Project Office, Dhangadhi for 15 million on the condition that the construction should be completed within 18 months. The locals complain that the negligence of the contractor company is responsible for the delay in the work.

The contractor company said that the construction of the bridge could not be completed because the project office did not pay the amount for the work and not because of their negligence. Contractor Ram Bahadur Shahi said that the Devbhoomi Construction Company, which has undertaken the construction of four bridges namely Lakshya Dulla in Darchula, Surnaya in Baitadi, Parigad in Bajhang and Deura, has not received the payment for the completed bridge as well.

'We have not received the payment for the bridge that was completed in January 2080. "The office has not paid more than one crore," Shahi said. I have already told here (Dhangadhi office) that I will build the bridge of Deura within a month.'' About 70 lakhs remains to be paid. They refused to give the goods because they did not pay. How do we work?'' he said.

Shahi said that local workers, skilled masons and various hardware and goods manufacturing companies are facing harassment due to non-payment of completed construction work for a long time. Another construction businessman, Sher Bahadur Bohra, said that he was facing great stress due to non-payment of the completed work. He took charge of the construction of 6 bridges through Jagdamba Surma Sarovar JV Company and told that more than 3 crores of payment is yet to be received.

'Four bridges have been completed and the bill has been submitted in June. The work of the other two has also been stopped at the stage of completion," Bohra said. "Those who are demanding money for the work are stressing that they will file a lawsuit. They are insulting. The government does not give money, what should we do? He said that the construction company is suffering more due to problems such as spoilage of cement transported to the construction site and theft of goods when the work is stopped. Three bosses have been transferred since March 2080. We are tired of running around in the office," he said.

At present, the construction of 18 bridges in Bajhang, Bajura, Darchula, Kailali, Achham, Kanchanpur and Doti in the Far West, which have been completed and which are under construction, has yet to be paid, according to the Local Infrastructure Development Project Office, Dhangadhi. According to the data of the office, more than 81.17 lakhs is due for the construction of all these bridges. Tank Khanal, head of project office, said that the remaining amount has been requested for payment to the local infrastructure development department, but the money has not been transferred from the Ministry of Finance, so there is a delay.