The Mechi river located on the Nepal-India eastern border is reached after splashing, Mechipari. There are three villages located in Mechinagar-15 and there are about 35 families living here. Satar, Rajwanshi, Yadav, Munda, Gwal and other tribal communities are in majority here. This school, where children from Gwalbasti, Sisaudangi and Zhadubasti, villages across the Mechi River, study, is always closed during the rainy season.

This year too, the school, which was supposed to be open since last July 25, has not yet opened, teaching has stopped. Because there is no bridge over the Mechi River, teachers cannot reach the school during the rainy season. Because of this, education here has been affected for years.

According to headmaster Lokendra Thapalia, the school is across the Mechi river, while two teachers and one helper live across the Mechi river. The Mechi river, which is usually crossed in winter, comes in floods during the dry season. There is no bridge over the river. Because of this, school teachers and staff cannot cross Mechi river. At this time, teaching is continuing in other schools. However, this school, which was supposed to open from July 25 after the winter holidays, is closed,'' says the headmaster Thapalia, "There is no bridge to cross the Mechi river and we cannot reach the school until the water in the river recedes." He said that he reached the school through the Indian route after covering a long distance for the security and administrative work of the school. Even if you want to look for the alternative of crossing the Mechi river, you have to reach the school through the Indian route through Kakadvitta to the north and Mechi bridge in Bhadrapur to the south. In this way, using the route of Kakdbhita and Bhadrapur, it takes a whole day to reach the school, says the headmaster Thapalia.

Also, if you use an alternative route, you have to reach the school from Kakadvitta via West Bengal and from Bhadrapur via Bihar. Which option is almost impossible to adopt daily. In the year 2057, the school was established in this place known as 'Nepal across the Mechi River' with the aim of providing access to education. Since then, the school has not been able to conduct any academic year during the rainy season. From June to August-August, the school is deserted.

According to the headmaster Thapalia, there are 11 students in the village who study up to class two. Even if you study in the village up to class two, you have to go to India to study classes above that. There is a school on the Mechi River side that teaches up to class 5. However, the Mechi river is blocked by floods again during monsoons. Two students come to study by crossing the Mechi River. However, even they cannot come during the drought,' he says, 'their studies are affected.' People here, who seem isolated, often prefer their native language. The number of educated people in the village is low. Most of them are engaged in farming. The former Jamirgarhi VDC is currently located in Mechinagar-15, and due to its geographical location, there is also a lack of other development infrastructure. Although various governments at different stages promised to build a bridge in Mechi, the bridge was not built. Amal Yadav, a resident of Gwalbasti, says that there are problems not only in education but also in electricity and drinking water.

'There was no attempt to bring electric lights. But in the dry season, the mechi that boils down the electric poles. Even if there is electricity in the village for a few days, it is the same after the river washes away the pole,' says Yadav, 'In Barkha, even a big person cannot cross the river. According to him, the locals have been demanding a bridge over the Mechi river time and again. "When there is an election, those who come to ask for votes demand that a bridge be built on everyone's mechi," he says, "Everyone says they will build it." However, they do not come back. Everyone is looking for us. Even though the government has been promising to build a suspension bridge in Mechi, it has not been done. Due to this, the locals are living in many shortages.

Bridge work stalled for 5 years

Dharan sub-metropolitan city-5 in Siran, the Ledua river bridge is not built, so the locals have to suffer every year during the drought. As the bridge has not been built even after five years since the work started, the locals have to risk crossing the river during the rainy season. The bridge, which was supposed to be built on July 7, 2078, only 64 percent of the work has been completed by the end of 5 years. Only the pillars on both sides of the bridge have been lifted and other work is left. Locals allege that the 16-meter long bridge connecting Dharan-5 and Dharan-4 could not be completed due to the contractor's negligence.

There are only 3,500 households and a population of 15,800 in Ward 5, which is located in a remote area of ​​Dharan. Locals say that due to the absence of bridges, they have to suffer during the rainy season for health, education and agriculture. "During the floods, when people get sick, sometimes they have to cross the river with the help of bamboo," says local prince Rai, "The children's education has also been affected because the bridge has not been built on time."

Ward 5 has only one public school up to class 5. As a result, children above 6th grade have to cross the river to study. 57 children from Mantar, Sumantar, Muktilal, Nishan Danda and Lower Nishan Danda of this region come down to Dharan Bazaar to study. But if the bridge is not built in time, the children have to risk coming to school in the rainy season. Nar Bahadur Magar, a resident of the local Zariyal village, said that the children had to be deprived of education because the bridge was not built at the time of

. According to him, children have to be sent to school by crossing the river during the rainy season. He said that during the rainy season, he would send them to school by checking the flow of water. "If the bridge had been built on time, we would have been freed from many problems," he said. Magar said that because of the river, Dharan-5 is currently unable to bring agricultural products such as vegetables and milk produced by the residents of Nishan Danda to the Dharan market.

An agreement was signed with the World Trade Construction Company for 1 crore 21 lakh 86 thousand 813 rupees on July 4, 2077 to complete the construction of the bridge in one year in the budget of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development of Koshi Province. The deadline for the construction of the 16 meter long bridge has been extended.

Although the construction company was extended for the first time on June 30, 2080 and for the second time on June 30, 2081, the work did not proceed. After strong protests by the locals, Koshi's Physical Infrastructure Development Minister Bhupendra Rai last March inspected the bridge and instructed to complete the work immediately. Pashupati Baral, the owner of World Trade Construction, promised to start the work from Chait 26 and complete the construction by May 2082, but the work of the bridge is still stalled.

According to the locals, there was hope that the bridge would be built after Minister Rai gave instructions to the contractor. Locals said that after the minister's monitoring, the contractor 'disappeared' again after working for one or two days after removing sand and gravel. Magar said that the river washed away the sand and gravel thrown by the contractor. He says, "We have been suffering for a long time without a bridge. After the minister came in March, there was hope that it would be done now, but it turned into disappointment.

Last March, the deadline was extended for the third time until May, but the process was stopped after the company brought a 'steward order' from the court when the contractor failed to complete the work on time. According to Senior Engineer Ramesh Kumar Shrestha, Spokesperson of Rural Road Infrastructure Branch of Infrastructure Development Office, Morang, the contractor has received payment of 89 lakh 50 thousand 173 rupees so far.

He said that the work could not proceed due to the negligence of the contractor as only slabs were left to be installed on both sides. "Despite repeatedly extending the deadline, preparations are being made to put the construction company on the blacklist, but the process has not been able to proceed because the company has brought a 'steward'," he said. He did not want to elaborate on why the bridge remains unfinished.

Ward president Manprasad Limbu said that the locals are forced to take risks during the rainy season in terms of health, education, and ward office work. Ward president Limbu said that even though the locals had high hopes for this bridge, it was not built even after the deadline was extended 3 times.