Siraha. Local level chiefs of Dhanusha, Siraha and Saptari districts have drawn the government’s serious attention to the long-awaited delay in the construction of the much-awaited bridge over the Kamala River connecting Siraha and Dhanusha.

In the interaction held under the chairmanship of Kamala Municipality Mayor Bisheshwar Yadav today, discussions were held in the presence of mayors, deputy mayors, chairmen and vice-chairmen of the rural municipalities of these districts.

Local level representatives who participated in the programme concluded that it was not possible to construct kamala bridge in the current design and stressed the need to prepare a new design, estimate and detailed project report (DPR) and start the reconstruction process.

Chairman of Bariyapatti Rural Municipality, Santosh Mahato, said that the participants unanimously decided to find short-term and long-term solutions for the maintenance and reconstruction of the bridge in coordination with the federal government and the state government.

The construction of the bridge, which started in 2068 BS, is still incomplete, which has greatly affected the daily lives of the local people. The construction process has been hampered time and again due to floods, negligence and irresponsibility of the contractor.

Stating that Pappu Construction and later Lumbini Builders have not been able to complete the work on time even after taking over the responsibility, there is also a demand to proceed with the work through responsible and capable construction companies.

Janakpur Sub-Metropolitan City Mayor Manoj Kumar Sah, Balan Bihul Rural Municipality Chair Khem Chandra Yadav, Dakneshwori Municipality Mayor Ram Lakhan Malah, Aurahi Rural Municipality Chair Shivaji Yadav, Bariapatti Rural Municipality Chair Mahato, Bhavagwanpur Rural Municipality Chair Ugra Narayan Yadav, among others, made it clear that no delay in the construction of the bridge would be tolerated this time.

Bariapatti rural municipality chair Mahato said, “Now pressure will be created to start the construction work by holding district-level interactions. In the absence of the bridge, the locals have been facing problems every year due to floods, disruption in economic activities, education of students and movement of patients.