Patna,(BiharTimes): The Dhamara Ghat tragedy of August 19, in which at least 29 people were run over and killed by Rajya Rani Express, has exposed another side of the rural Bihar.
If it was alleged that there was no road even for bullock carts in rural Bihar during the Lalu-Rabri regime there is hardly any difference in at least some parts of the state even now. Many villages of Khagaria and Saharsa district have no road even to ride bicycles. This is true for many other places too.
The students who got them under the state government scheme are unable to make any use of it. These cycles are eithering gathering dust at their homes or might have been sold.
Students, mostly girls, have to undertake tiresome 10 km long journey on foot or train every day as there is no other means to reach their school and than return in the evening.
Students get so tired that they hardly pay any attention to their study.
A report in the Telegraph said that over 1,000 students from a dozen villages around the Dhamara Ghat railway station got bicycles. These villages are Dhamara, Bangalia, Rohiyar, Balkunda, Dhamnia, Sarsawa, Thuthi and Bachha of Khagaria district and Sambar, Kabirpur, Sauth and Dhirkhi of Saharsa district.
These students go either to Chautham High School or Malpa High School in Chautham block of Khagaria district.
As students have to catch train they leave their home about two hours before at around 7:30 in the morning. If they miss the train, which reaches Dhamara Ghat at 8:00 AM they will have to walk for two hours or more to reach the school. They get down at Badla Ghat as it is near to their school.
On return they have to take 5:00 PM train at Badla Ghat to return to Dhamara Ghat. During winter these students, mostly girls, reach home after sunset. So in any case they need not miss this return journey. Parents are always worried over the safety of their children.
The August 19 mishap not only exposed the total absence of road in a large part of this region it also showed as to how few and far between the schools are in Bihar.
Can’t a couple of schools be built on the money spent on distributing hundreds of bicycles every year to students of these villages.
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