By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Aug. 3: Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand on Monday informed the National Assembly about the incident that happened in the Mahakali River in Malghat of Byash Municipality, Darchula.
Asking for some time to speak on contemporary issues, the minister said that the government was aware of the incident. “An investigative team has been formed to find the truth behind it,” he said.
Media reports have it that a Nepali citizen Jay Singh Dhami, 33, fell into the river while he was crossing it by a Tuin (wire bridge) as Sashastra Sima Bal (SSB), the border guarding force of India, unknotted the wire.
Reacting to the tragic incident, the Home Minister said: “People use such wire bridge as a medium to cross the rivers in rural areas risking their lives. The incident is a result of this,” he said.
He further said although four suspension bridges were under construction to replace wire ones there, sadly a citizen lost his life while trying to cross the river.
Tuin is an indigenous technology, one of the most common structures for river crossing in rural Nepal. It usually has a single wire rope, a pulley and a simple wooden trolley.
The Minister informed the House about the incident without mentioning the involvement of the SSB in it. “We cannot make any comment about it before we receive the field report,” he added.
According to the Home Ministry, Secretary Janardan Gautam is leading the investigation team, and they had already reached Dhangadhi for the task.
He also added that local investigative teams in the district were busy collecting information.
Lawmakers from the opposition parties asked him why the government was silent in the face of locals complaining about the involvement of the Indian border security force in the incident.
Minister Khand said the government was serious about the matter and it would bring out the truth about the incident soon.