Bihar: People construct thatched bridge in Madhepura block

MADHEPURA: Murliganj block residents in Madhepura district have built a thatched bridge over the Benga river on their own to make the village road accessible to SH-91, the block headquarters and other areas in this region.
This section of the river was previously crossed by an RCC (reinforced concrete cement) bridge, but it was completely destroyed by catastrophic floods in 2008.
An assistant professor, Firoz Manshuri, told this reporter on Saturday, “Although reconstruction works have been carried out, many village roads are still left to be rebuilt across the region.”
Residents of the affected villages have difficulty getting to the block headquarters and other parts of the district because of the delay in the construction of new bridges. Hence, they have built a thatched bridge to alleviate traffic congestion on the village road connecting SH-91 with Murligant and Beharigan.
“We have been pleading for a long time for the ravaged bridge to be rebuilt, but to no avail. As a result, we constructed this makeshift thatched bridge. A concrete bridge is still needed in this area,” claimed Pranav Kumar, a Velahi village resident.
He continued, “Even on the most important days of our lives, people from the cities stay away from our villages. The villagers prefer to hold their weddings in Madhepura town’s marriage halls, which are much more expensive.”