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28-year-old Narayan Singh Budhatho of Dumling, Vyas-2, Darchula, has gone missing in the Mahakali river after being caught in a storm. This is not only a personal tragedy of a young man, but also an ugly picture of state insensitivity and irresponsibility.
10 years ago, the government, which made a big announcement to 'make Nepal Tuin-free within two years', is still pushing the people of Darchula to the face of death due to Tuin. The speech changes, the government changes but the fate of the rural people does not change. Even today,
remains a means of livelihood in dozens of slums in Darchula, dealing with the possibility of death instead of life at every moment. Even before Narayan Singh, many youths like Jaisingh Dhami, Sachin Budhathoki, Sundarsingh Bhandari have been absorbed into the Mahakali fold. They are not just the subject of news, they are an incomplete dream, which has been shattered by the neglect of a country caught up in grandeur in the name of development.
When the state spends billions on appearance projects like the view tower in the capital, then some citizens on the other side of the same state are hanging on the rope between life and death to cross a river. Is the value of Darchulavasi's life less than the beauty of the view tower?
Tuin displacement program was announced in 2072 but the same old assurance is repeated in the policy and program of 2082/83. How unfortunate it is that such matters of direct relevance to people's lives are always confined to the dustbin of speech. The local residents demanded the suspension bridge time and again, but their voice never reached the streets of power in Kathmandu.
This is not only the pain of Darchula, it is the common pain of the entire rural Nepal. When the priority of the people in power is the flint development of the capital, until then the people of the village have to hang on the rope of Tuin to save their lives and only when that rope is cut, the eyes of the government will be opened, that too for a moment.
Without delay, the government must make the Tuin displacement program its national priority. This is not just an infrastructure issue, it is a serious life-saving issue. In remote areas like Darchula, budget should be immediately ensured for construction of suspension bridge and action plan should be implemented immediately. Such projects can be completed effectively through the local government, not just through the speech of the center. For that, they should be given the necessary rights, resources and technical support. The first and foremost responsibility of the government is to protect the lives of the people. When the lives of citizens are put at risk every day by hanging on the ropes of Tuin, the government cannot shirk its responsibilities. Until the tragedy of Tuin ends, Nepal cannot truly be freed from the stigma of being a 'parentless country'.
– Santosh Simkhada , Tokyo, Japan
