Villagers fear for the safety of their school going children during rains
Villagers fear for the safety of their school going children during rains
B.D.Kasniyal
Pithoragarh, April 18
With monsoon season fast approaching and rains already lashing the Kumoan region in the past week, the villagers of over six villages of Bangapani sub-division of Munsiyari region of Pithoragarh district have expressed their concerned over security of their children who are bound to cross river Gori to reach their respective schools almost on daily basis.
“More than 65 school students from villages of Talla Ghururi, Malla Ghururi, Ghanghali, Bhyola, Dhamigaon and Lumpti villages of Bangapani sub- division of Pithoragarh district have to reach their schools in Baran area that is situated across the Gori river, as the bridge on the river was washed away in 2013 disaster and could not be reconstructed since then, ” said Gambhir Singh Samant, a villager of Mawani Dawani.
According to the villagers, they have been requesting administration and government through applications and holding protests during the last 12 years to demand reconstruction of the bridge but the government did not heard them.
“Our children are taking risk of their lives by travelling through the lone trolley, installed by administration thereafter, as the trolley often gets damaged mid way,” said Munni Devi, an ex gram Pradhan of Mawani Dawani village.
” Last year during same time, the students who were returning from their school were trapped for hours and later rescued by administration and sent back home via alternative route, ” said Munni Devi.
The villagers said that the school going students, patients and pregnant women wanting to reach hospital across the river, face daily difficulty during rainy season as besides Gori river, two other local rivulets also remain in spate during monsoon or during local rainfall.”It has been 12 years but no one has come to give relief to our children ,” complained Bhuwneswari Devi, a villager of the village.
“The worst affected children are from Bhyul and Mankot sublets, who are forced to travel extra more than 7 km during rains due to these overflowing rivulets to reach the trolley and reach back home after dawn,” said Pushkar Goswami, a villager of Mankot village.
Bhupendra Singh Mahar, District Disaster Management Officer of Pithoragarh has said that the natural disasters in last 12 years have taken toll of over 400 small bridges in the district, most of these have been sanctioned for reconstruction. “We hope that both bridges of Mawani Dawani region on river Gori and local rivulets will get sanction before monsoon this year,” disaster management officer hoped.
