JAJARKOT, Feb 16: Four people died an unfortunate death after the bus they were traveling in skidded off the road at Rimna of Bheri Municipality and plunged into the Bheri River on Thursday evening.

Narrow road, dangerous rock in the middle of the road and over speeding have been identified as the reasons behind the fatal mishap. The Rimna road section of Khalanga is quite prone to accidents. Not just passengers but also drivers fear passing through this route.

This road was constructed nine years ago under the Decentralized Rural Infrastructure and Livelihood Program (DRILP). Lack of proper repair and maintenance of the road has made it dilapidated. Large bumps, mud holes, and inappropriate road structure have compelled the passengers to risk their lives.

As there were fewer passengers on board on Thursday, there was less human casualty. The bus was carrying altogether 13 passengers of which four died while nine others sustained injuries. This may not be a big accident for Jajarkot but local good governance activist Bal Kumar Sharma stressed that the responsible authority must take efforts to find out the cause behind a series of accidents.

The sorry state of many roads along the district headquarters Khalanga has failed to get the attention of the stakeholders. This has compelled the passengers to take a bumpy ride to their destinations risking their lives. Keshar Karki, Police Inspector of the District Police Office (DPO), Jajarkot, also blamed narrow road and over speeding as the reason behind Thursday’s accident.

According to activist Sharma, journalists and locals have repeatedly made efforts to draw the attention of officials of Road Division Office, Chaurjahari, local representatives and other stakeholders toward the poor condition of the road but to no avail. This road often remains shut during the monsoon. Vehicles often are stuck on the road after torrential rainfall.

The condition of the Khalanga-Panchkatiya road is no different. Substandard work and lack of maintenance have created deep holes and bumps in the road, which can cause serious accidents, says Dilli Bahadur Thapa of Kushe-5. Nine years since its construction, vehicles still struggle to move along this road.

On November 20, 2014, a total of 54 people died when a passenger bus met with an accident. Likewise, 29 people died in a similar accident in March 9, 2017. These two major accidents still give goosebumps to the people.

 
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• Rimna
 
• Bheri_Municipality
 
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