Bhagalpur, Aug. 10: It has been three years since floods ravaged Kosi region but road communication remains as bad as ever. Heavy rain and swelling of rivers Bagmati and Kosi have compounded woes for more than 60 lakh residents of the region.

The Dumri bridge built across the meeting points of Bagmati and Kosi rivers at Saharsa, which was considered the lifeline of the Kosi region, was closed long back.

“The alternative steel bridge built beside Dumri Bridge, where traffic movement was thrown open about 29 days ago, too, was closed on August 7. Now boats are the only option to carry four-wheelers across the river,” Sanjeev Mandal, a vehicle owner said.

The floodwater of Kosi reportedly created panic on the diversion near Murliganj in the district.

However, not a single officer commented on the efforts taken by the department concerned in the region.

Bikash Singh, another vehicle owner, said NH-106, (Saharsa-Purnea), which once considered the best road in the region, has become a nightmare for travellers. “The road has become so dilapidated that it takes six-seven hours to cross the 100km stretch. Many have started ferrying their vehicles across the river by boats near Dumri Bridge,” he said.

Another vehicle owner Amit Kumar Jha from Purnea said travellers have to cover an additional distance of 50km to reach Patna via Naugachia and Maheshkuth. “Heavy vehicles, however, are diverted through Kurshela-Sarshi, some 20km away from Purnea. The road is comparatively better but 5km away from Sarshi, at a diversion built for construction of a bridge, it becomes difficult as vehicles get stranded in mud,” he said.

The dilapidated Saharsa-Sarshi Road, too, has become a bane for motorists, where accidents and traffic snarls are a common feature. Around 80km of the road has been converted into big ditches and at many places, the road is covered in three-four feet of mud.

“Owing to heavy traffic flow, the road has become dangerous and continuous showers have added to the problems, said Rajendar Yadav, a truck driver. “It is difficult to distinguish between the roads and the muddy fields on the 60km-stretch of the Madhepura-Sarshi Road,” he added.

The water has also started posing a threat to the temporary bridge near Baluaha at Murliganj block in Saharsa.

However, not a single officer commented on the efforts taken by the department concerned in the region. J.R. Rao, the project director of Bihar Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Society-cum-divisional commissioner of Kosi division also expressed his concern over the situation. In a review meeting at Saharsa on Saturday, Rao directed the department concerned to take the repair works on a priority basis.