Key road link to Northeast snapped now, trucks line Bihar highway

One stretch of NH-31 has been kept for accommodating displaced people, with relief camps yet to be set up. The current is too fast to allow rebuilding of the approach road.

“The town area is safe but people from lowlying areas and 50-odd villages are being forced to stay on the highway. Government help has just started to come in,” said Rajendra Singh, a bicycle shop owner at Baisi.

Truckers Manoj Kumar Giri and Deep Chand Sharma, who are carrying a consignment of apples from Shimla to Siliguri, are stuck at Gulab Bagh of Purnea. “It has been two days now,” said Sharma. “We had started from Shimla on August 12 but we don’t know when we can reach Siliguri.” Behind him are lined at least 15 trucks, all laden with apples.

Said Harendra Yadav, another truck driver and a resident of Gorakhpur: “If we are stuck here for a few more days, we will have to sell apples in local markets at any price we get.”

Gulab Bagh, the entry point to Purnea, has been packed with trucks for the last two days with movement possible only along one-way — out of Purnea towards Araria and Katihar. With the Mahananda breaching its banks at Pranpur and flooding at least 10 blocks, the route between Purnea and Khagaria too looks threatened.

Ritu Singh of Katihar said: “Some of my relatives are trapped in parts of Kishanganj for the last three days. No government help has reached them. They are getting help from Muslim neighbours in the crisis.”

As per disaster management department figures, 66 lakh people in 13 Bihar districts have been affected by floods. So far, 56 people have died in flood-related incidents. Araria has reported the maximum casualties, 25, with 20 bodies taken out of the Jogbani canal in last three days. West Champaran has reported 17 deaths.

The Seemanchal districts of Araria, Purnea, Kishanganj and Katihar are worst hit with the Mahananda, Kankai, Parman and Bakra in spate after continuous rains over last week and Nepal releasing extra water. At least 400 villages of Kishanganj are flooded.