Saptari, Oct 1: The nonstop rainfall triggered flooding in the Jita stream which damaged the Rajbiraj-Kunauli road.
The road subsided after the flooding, thereby causing a complete disruption in transportation and people’s movement.
It has not only affected transportation but also impacted badly the revenue collection at Rajbiraj Customs Office located at Tilathi. The roadway link the district to Indian border. The flood has eroded land and roads, pulling down an aging motorable bridge.
A local Bindeshwori Yadav has said it was difficult to reach Rajbiraj Customs Office owing to road disruption. “Settlements are inundated and vehicular movements came to a complete halt on Rajbiraj-Kunauli road,” she added.
After the road obstruction, the locals are forced to navigate 10-km more distance to reach Malhaniya, while it takes almost one hour to get to Kunauli bazaar.
Similarly, another local Bindu Lal Mukhiya said it was a sheer inconvenience for the pedestrians as well. The road damage has forced the people go through hardship in daily life. It is the shortest route for load carriers to get to the Customs Office via Kunauli from India. Two years back, two persons had gone missing in the road depression.
Ward Chair from Tiladi Koiladi rural municipality-1, Dineshwor Mishra, said the erosion of road during flood is a three decade long problem. He said it was urgent to control the floods in Khado and Jita rivulets. However, the government has not paid adequate attention to this, he expressed despair.
Minister further informed that it has a direct bearing on revenue collection. “The governments must intensify the efforts to repair and reconstruct the damaged road section to normalize transportation and people’s movement,” he stressed.
