New Kamala Bridge Construction Committee Protests Budget Exclusion

Janakpurdham. The New Kamala Bridge Construction Struggle Committee has become agitated, stating that the budget allocated for the construction of the new Kamala bridge in the upcoming fiscal year's budget published by the federal government has not been allocated.

On Monday, the committee submitted a memorandum to the Speaker of the Madhesh Province Assembly, Ram Ashish Yadav, demanding that the budget for the construction of the bridge be ensured immediately.

Previously, an agreement was reached between the New Kamala Bridge Construction Struggle Committee and the Madhesh Province Government to make efforts to manage the necessary budget through the federal budget of the fiscal year 2083/84. The written agreement clearly stated that if the federal government does not provide the budget, the Madhesh Province Government will bear the total cost from its own internal resources and call for tenders for the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR). However, as no amount has been allocated for the Kamala bridge construction in the federal government's budget, the Struggle Committee has reminded the province government of the prior agreement and drawn its attention.

According to the coordinator of the Struggle Committee, Engineer Pravin Yadav, as the project was not included in the federal budget as per the prior agreement, the Madhesh Province Government should now expedite the construction process from its own internal resources. During the submission of the memorandum, the Struggle Committee urged the province government to fulfill its commitment verbatim and warned that if the demands are not addressed immediately, they will be forced to launch a more vigorous protest.

The construction of this bridge, which directly concerns thousands of citizens of Dhanusha and Siraha districts and is linked to their economic lives, has been in uncertainty for years. Local residents have been demanding that not just assurances but the actual construction work should commence. The Struggle Committee has urged the government to make a concrete decision immediately and start the process of bridge construction.