While neighbouring villages across the Mahakali river in India have all basic facilities, residents of half a dozen VDCs in Talloswarad area in the district are compelled to live without electricity.
The VDCs like Pancheshwor, Kulau, Mahakali, Bishalpur and Giregada lack basic public amenities such as electricity, road, drinking water, health and education and have to travel across the Nepal-India border to purchase basic necessities. “We are forced to live in darkness and without roads,” said Shukra Bahadur Chand, headmaster of Devthala Secondary School at Mahakali VDC, adding that many villages in the area are also do not have health posts and schools.
Without proper market in the area, local residents have no option other than heading to Lohaghat in Uttarakhand, India, crossing the river on a boat to purchase household essentials. Locals, however, said they cannot even cross the river being during monsoon. “We have to manage necessary essentials before monsoon as the river floods then,” said Sarbajit Aauji of Mahakali VDC-3. He said people who cannot purchase essentials before monsoon are left in the lurch since most of them rely on daily wages to survive.
Lal Singh Saud of Sharmali VDC-5 said youths in the villages go to India in search of job opportunities.
Though the construction of Patan-Pancheshwor road began 32 years ago, only a 25 kilometre section has been completed so far.
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