The removal of the bailey bridges at Phoksingtar and Bangsilaghat has had a major impact on the transportation of daily necessities, price increases, and livelihoods in Khotang.
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The direct transport link with the eastern Terai of Khotang has been severed after the temporary bailey bridge of Phoksingtar and Bangsilaghat was removed. The direct transport link with the Terai has been completely severed after the bailey bridge of Phoksingtar was removed on Sunday and the bailey bridge of Bangsilaghat was removed on April 27.
The bailey bridge over the Sunkoshi River in Phoksingtar, which connects Khotang's Khotehang Rural Municipality-9, Lichki Ramche and Udayapur's Rautamai Rural Municipality-5, Aanpatar, under the Sagarmatha Highway (Gaighat-Diktel Road), came into operation on April 27. It is installed every winter and removed as soon as the monsoon season begins. Binam Dahal, head of the Infrastructure Development Office, Khotang, said that MA/S Aryan Construction Multi Purpose Pvt. Ltd. Katari-3 Udayapur has been awarded a contract worth Rs. 96,77,937 for installing and removing the bailey bridge this year.
The bridge at Phoksingtar was washed away by floods on Asoj 12 last year. The bridge, which took about 12 years to build, was washed away in a year. Lakhs have been spent every year to install and remove the bailey bridge.
Similarly, after the water flow in Sunkoshi in Bangsilaghat started increasing, the bailey bridge has been removed from April 27. Gurukul Builders and Suppliers Pvt. Ltd. Rautahat had won a contract worth Rs. 57 lakh for installing and removing the bailey bridge. The first bailey bridge was installed at Sunkoshi in Bangshilaghat, which connects Barahapokhari Rural Municipality-5, Pauwasera, Khotang, and Chaudandigadhi Municipality-1, Udayapur. The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development of the Koshi Province government allocated a budget of 18.7 million rupees to purchase the bailey bridge materials and handed them over to the Infrastructure Development Office, Khotang.
Work is underway to complete the bridge construction in Bangshilaghat within 33 months at a cost of 191.841 million rupees. The contract for the work was signed by Kalika-Vedansi JV on 1 Mangsir 2079 BS. However, locals have complained that the pace of the work is slow.
Rajan Acharya, President of the Khotang Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that after the direct transport link with the Terai was severed, there will be problems in transporting consumer goods and construction materials. Acharya said that due to the lack of direct transport, people have to go around Katari and when bringing goods from the Gaighat-Diktel road, people have to carry them from the suspension bridge in Phoksingtar, and they have to face problems such as breakage, loss and getting wet while loading and unloading the goods in the vehicle.
Acharya also said that due to this, the price will increase by 3 to 5 rupees per kg. ‘The problem of Khotang has become worse again, due to the lack of direct transport, people have to carry the goods from the suspension bridge in Phoksingtar, and when loading and unloading the goods in the vehicle, there is a problem of breakage, loss and getting wet,’ this seems to increase the price by 3 to 5 rupees per kg.’
