Better late than never.

The 160ft high Kakolat waterfall could well be the Niagara or even the Jog of Bihar to attract tourists but successive governments hardly did anything till a month ago when road repairs started.

Hundreds of local villagers - direct and indirect beneficiaries of a tourism project around the waterfall - in Govindpur Assembly constituency in Nawada district felt the road revamp would help them in livelihood too. At least 65 labourers have been engaged under supervision of environment and forests department officials to repair the road leading to the waterfall, about 140km south of Patna.

Nitish Kumar, as chief minister, gave special attention to roads by constructing 38,707.92km of state highways and major district roads, apart from at least 14,000 bridges and flyovers, across the state in the past 10 years. However, roads around this natural beauty hardly got any funds or focus.

Even candidates of Govindpur Assembly constituency are least concerned about the waterfall. In the Grand Alliance seat adjustment, the Congress will contest Govindpur, which was earlier occupied by the JDU. The fight is between two women - Congress's Purnima Yadav and the BJP's Phula Yadav.

Purnima is wife of muscleman-turned-politician and sitting JDU MLA Kaushal Yadav, who is contesting this election from Hisua Assembly seat in Nawada district, while Phula is mukhiya (panchayat head) of Chaunan in Roh block.

Though it is a straight fight between Purnima and Phula, there are factors that can damage their vote share. For example, Shravan Kushwaha, who is contesting as an Independent, can cut into the vote share of major parties. Shravan had earlier contested the MLC poll on a BJP ticket but lost. He was eager to contest the Assembly elections this year but the party did not give him a ticket.

Similarly, there is another Independent candidate, Mohammad Kamran, who has helped "create an identity" among the local people. He helps youths get admission in metro cities through his contacts.

"However, except one, no senior politician dared to visit this waterfall because of bad road. In 2010, the then deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi had visited here and spent some time. After that, no other politician has visited this waterfall - not even the Govindpur Assembly constituency candidates," said Kakolat waterfall caretaker Suresh Paswan (40).

The 8km approach road is dilapidated, the stairs leading towards the fall and the guest house are crying for repairs.

"After permission from the Union government, we have started repairing the approach road and the stairs, which were really dangerous for visitors. It is a beautiful place and I am personally looking into the matter so that the work is completed within the 2015-16 financial year. We have sanctioned Rs 36 lakh initially but the total cost would be around Rs 2.5-3 crore," said Vivek Singh, principal secretary, environment and forests department.

"Once the road is repaired, the waterfall can become the biggest tourist attraction in Bihar," said Ram Pukar Mahto, a resident of Govindpur.

After the road repairs started, the villagers as well as policemen are quite happy. "It is really difficult for us to patrol, especially after sunset, in the forest area. As work to repair the road has started, we are happy," said a constable at Govindpur police station.

The waterfall has a Mahabharat connection. During the Treta Yug, a sage had cursed a king and turned him into a python that lived near the Kakolat falls. The king was rid of the curse when the Pandavas visited Kakolat during their exile. On his salvation, the king proclaimed that those who bathed in the waterfall would neither die of snakebite nor be reborn as snakes.

There is a long pipe fixed at the top of the fall and whoever visits here uses the other end of the pipe to drink the water. "Apart from taking a bath, people drink the water, which is considered nectar. I have been drinking its water since I was 11," added Suresh, whose grandfather Binddi Paswan died at the age of 89.

Govindpur votes on October 12