Removal of Bailey bridge adds woes to Khotang locals

By Rajkumar Bhattarai

Khotang, May 25: Locals of Khotang have been facing hardships following the removal of the Bailey bridge installed over the Sunkoshi River in Phoksintar. The inability to travel via the Diktel-Gaighat short route to the Tarai districts has worsened the hardships faced by the locals.

A temporary Bailey bridge had been constructed after floods swept away the original bridge connecting the Khotang and Udayapur districts. However, due to rising water levels in the Sunkoshi River, the temporary bridge has now been removed.

With the bridge removed, residents are forced to travel longer distances and face significant challenges in transporting goods.

Previously, it was easy to reach cities like Diktel, Phoksintar, Gaighat, Dharan, Biratnagar and Kakarbhitta. However, with the removal of the temporary bridge in Phoksintar, daily life has become difficult for the locals.

The original bridge at Phoksintar, which connected Lichkiramche in Khotehang Municipality-9 of Khotang and Aamptar in Rautamai Rural Municipality-5 of Udayapur, was swept away by a flood on December 12, 2024. 

In response, a temporary Bailey bridge was installed on January 27, 2025, for use during the winter with plans to dismantle it before the rainy season.

Due to rising water levels in mid-May, removal of the Belay Bridge began. According to Subas Tiwari, Information Officer at the Gaighat-Diktel Road Office in Udayapur, all vehicular movement was completely halted and the bridge was dismantled as of May 18.

Ram Hinghamang, General Secretary of the Khotang Transport Business Association, stated that from May 19, vehicles heading to the Tarai districts are now being rerouted through the longer three to four-hour journey via Ghurmi-Katari.

Aryan Construction Multipurpose Katahari was awarded a contract worth Rs. 10 million by the Udayapur Road Office for the installation and removal of the Bailey bridge at Phoksintar.

In 2022, a 120-meter-long arc bridge was constructed at Phoksintar, eliminating the need for a temporary bridge. However, just two years later, that bridge was washed away by floods once again, bringing hardship to the people of Khotang.