Build bridges

The government should invest in useful infrastructure rather than view towers.

Earlier this month, the death of Jaya Singh Dhami in the remote Darchula district shook the nation. While investigations are underway to ascertain if a member of India’s Sashastra Seema Bal detached the metal cable from a tree just when Dhami was about to make it across the Mahakali River, the incident exposes how villagers in remote regions of Nepal continue to live in a state of statelessness. For the lack of a bridge, people are forced to cross rivers using tuins, unsafe boats, tubes, and wooden planks, and recurrent reports of lives lost while attempting to cross the river are worrisome.