A CORRESPONDENT
BOKAKHAT: The Dhansiri River flows between Kuruwabahi Gaon Panchayat and Dihchow Gaon Panchayat in the Bokakhat co-district. Besides the residents of both panchayats, people from the nearby areas also use a boat ferry service to cross the river at a local point known as the Nikori Ghat. This ghat is very old, having existed for many years. Hundreds of people have been crossing the Dhansiri River here daily for years with the help of traditional country boats.
Every day, people tie up their hair in a traditional way before boarding these boats to cross. Even students attending schools and colleges have been using this boat service for many years, enduring hardships and risks.
Due to the perilous situation faced by hundreds of people, there has been a continuous public demand to the government for the construction of a permanent bridge over the Dhansiri River at Nikori Ghat. However, this demand remains unresolved.
Although public representatives have repeatedly assured the people that arrangements are being made for building a permanent bridge at Nikori Ghat, the public remains unconvinced. Amidst these ongoing talks, last year, the ghat’s leaseholder took the initiative to ease the people’s suffering by constructing a bamboo bridge over the Dhansiri River during the dry season. This bamboo bridge provided significant relief and saved time for daily commuters. People used the bamboo bridge until the monsoon, when the rising river washed it away, forcing them to return to using boats.
However, this year, the ghat’s leaseholder changed. The new leaseholder reportedly declined to construct the bamboo bridge, citing the high cost of several lakhs of rupees. As a result, people were once again deprived of this crucial bridge and had to continue risking their lives crossing the river in small country boats.
In light of this, the public has renewed its demand for the construction of a permanent bridge over the Dhansiri River at Nikori Ghat to end this dangerous and inconvenient situation once and for all.
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