Siraha. The residents of Betouna Paltol of Golbazar Municipality-12 have been waiting for the path of development for the last 10 years. Although the local elections have been held twice, the residents are yet to taste development.

The settlement, which has more than 100 households, has neither repaired roads nor provided drinking water nor any other infrastructure. Although roads, temples, guest houses and electrification have been completed in the surrounding villages, not even a single inch of soil has been added in the name of development in Paltol so far.

Shambhu Raut, a former teacher of the local school, said, “We have been considered as the opposition, so the people’s representatives ignored us. There is no one to listen to our voice even after repeatedly pleading from the ward to the municipality. ’

Sukdev Raut, 78, of basti has a similar complaint. He said, “Now we have to bring water from others and drink it. Other locals have also alleged that the settlement has been divided by partisan politics and kept away from development.

Ward chair Ganesh Kumar Mukhiya said, “The work has been delayed due to lack of budget. We have not neglected Paltol. The idea is to make the road slope work effective at once, so it is taking some time. We are also interested in developing, but resources have limited it. ’

Mayor Shyam Kumar Shrestha said the municipality was planning to develop infrastructure as soon as possible. “We are aware of the problems of Paltol and we are trying to balance the development in all wards within the municipality on the basis of budget and priorities,” he said. ’

However, the lack of work even after 10 years of waiting, pleading, demand and assurance has now become a matter of concern rather than pain for the people of Paltol.