TOTAL: 9 km

MOTORABLE: 3 km

As one starts from Sitamarhi town, there is plain cement concrete road (PCCR) for 1 km, followed by a single- or half-concrete stretch for 200 metres, then another PCCR road for another half kilometre. At Govindfanda, the PCCR ends and there is no road for 200 metres.

Residents said the contractor did not even fill in soil here. “There will be knee- to waist-deep water in the gap. We asked the contractor to bridge the gap but we were rebuked,” said Ajit Kumar, a villager.

While there is a 20-feet-wide concrete road until Bhavangama, its loose stone chips are exposed for lack of bitumen use. With some small gaps (no work), the journey to Riga is complete.

STRETCH: Riga-Dheng

TOTAL: 15 km

MOTORABLE: 3 km

Another road stretch from Riga to Dheng shows non-completion of even basic road construction or repair. There is brick-soling or stone-moraine road for 8 km. For anyone attempting to travel from Sitamarhi to Dheng, a bumpy ride lies ahead as there is no concrete road for 7 km. This is followed by 1 km of good road, but this smooth ride comes to an abrupt end with the absence of any construction work for 300 metres. In sum, there is only 3 km of “good motorable”road in the 9-km Riga-Dheng stretch.

Dr Rasnarain Jha of Dheng said, “Contractors are so influential that villagers cannot ask questions. They have curtailed road width, height and used bitumen in sprinkles”.

... contd.