Claims of tuin-free Nepal mean nothing but shallow promises for Jajarkot residents
JAJARKOT: Five years ago, during his first stint as the Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli had declared that he would displace the tuin, rope bridges, from the country within two years.
It was the first decision taken by the Oli administration on assuming office in September 2015. The budget presentation for the fiscal year 2015/16 also declared that tuin would be displaced.
However, the PM who is serving his second term, has already spent three years without addressing his claims.
This undated image shows a boy crossing Chhedagad River by a tuin, a rope bridge that connects Saltada of Shhivalaya Rural Municipality-1 and Karkigaun of Chhedagad Municipality-12 in Jajarkot district.
People in the remote areas of hilly Jajarkot district are still, by and large, compelled to cross rivers via tuin.
Locals of Thulabagar and Maide Maluwatar in Nalagad Municipality’s ward no 1 and 8 in the eastern part of Jajarkot have been using tuin in order to cross Bheri River to cross over to Rukum district.
Likewise, there are tuin ‘facilities’ over Chhedagad River in Saltada and Baluwa in Shivalaya Rural Municipality’s ward no. 1 and 9 for gaining access to neighbouring Chhedagad Municipality in the western region of Jajarkot district.
Manbir Pun of Shivalaya-1 said locals are left with no other options except for taking the associated risks to cross the river. He said although locals have demanded a suspension bridge be constructed, authorities have let the demand go unheard.
Chakru Singh of Karkigaun, Chhedagad-12, said many people have lost their lives while crossing the river on vessels and boats in the past. People had to walk for five hours to reach Morka to use a suspension bridge over the river. But it became little easier except for women, children and senior citizens after a tuin bridge was installed about 25 years ago, Singh said.
Meanwhile, locals of Nalagad-1 lamented that they have spent most of their lives using tuin as it takes about one and a half hours and also along the only hazardous trail to reach the suspension bridges.
Bir Bahadur Pun of Thulabagar said it was still better to use tuin than taking the hazardous trail to reach the suspension bridge as many people have died falling from the cliffs.
The locals, as such, wait in hope to have access to a better and basic means to travel from one place to another, without having much to think about the risks in doing so.
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