Jogbuda locals risk lives crossing Mahakali by boat

By Puskar Bhandari

Dadeldhura, Apr. 14: Residents of the Jogbuda area, home to around 50,000 people, are compelled to risk their lives crossing the Mahakali River by boat due to the lack of a bridge.

For employment, daily essentials and medical treatment, locals depend on nearby Indian towns such as Tanakpur and Banbasa. 

With Sudurpaschim being vibrant with Bisu festival, many migrant workers have recently returned home from various Indian cities. Every day, hundreds of returnees are forced to cross the border river by boat, risking their safety.

The absence of a bridge linking Parashuram Municipality in Nepal with India has left locals with no alternative but to use boats. The distance from Banbasa to Parigaun of Parashuram Municipality-5 is only about 18 kilometres, a journey of around 45 minutes. 

However, travelling via the Gaddachauki-Mahendranagar route in Kanchanpur stretches over 100 kilometres, making the risky boat crossing the only practical option, said local Harish Bhattarai.

“If there were a bridge, travel would be much easier,” said Saraswati Khadka of Parigaun, Ward No. 5. “Leaders have been promising a bridge during elections for years, but even a suspension bridge has not been built. We are still forced to rely on boats.”

Locals regularly cross into Indian markets such as Thuligaad, Tanakpur and Banbasa to purchase daily necessities. Agricultural produce fetches better prices there, while consumer goods are available at lower costs, making cross-border travel essential, she added.

After crossing the Mahakali, travellers find blacktopped roads on the Indian side. For healthcare, residents often travel to hospitals in Khatima and Bareilly, said Ward No. 6 Chair Khagendra Bahadur Singh.

There are two main crossing points in the area -- Banghat in Parigaun of Ward No. 5 and Sisamjhala in Ward No. 6 -- where hundreds of people cross the river daily. Locals working in different Indian cities also use these routes, travelling by boat.

Despite repeated demands, no progress has been made on building a bridge over the Mahakali, Singh said. Boat operations at both crossings are contracted out through bidding by ward offices.

A bridge over the Mahakali is also considered vital to connect pilgrims travelling between Purnagiri Dham in Uttarakhand, India, and Parashuram Dham in Nepal.

A large fair is held at Parashuram Dham during Maghe Sankranti, drawing devotees from across Nepal and India. Crowds also gather during solar and lunar eclipses for ritual bathing, according to former chairperson of the Parashuram Area Development Committee, Kailash Kumar Pandey.

However, the lack of a bridge has made access difficult, preventing many devotees from visiting the site. Locals believe that building a bridge would not only ease cross-border movement but also boost religious tourism in the area.