Ara: Local MP and CPI(ML) neta Sudama Prasad wrote to Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday, requesting him for a bridge construction over Ganga river at Mahuli under Barhara block of Bhojpur district. He also demanded the completion of the bridge under construction over the Ganga river at historic Shivpur in Shahpur block of the district, where great freedom fighter Veer Kunwar Singh offered his injured arm to the holy river after being shot at by the British army.
Dilraj Pritam, town secretary of the CPI(ML) said the Ara MP has also raised the issue during the Zero Hour of the ongoing winter session of Parliament on Wednesday.
Pointing out the significance of the proposed bridge at Mahuli Ghat, the Ara MP wrote, “Although a peepa bridge (temporary bridge) is erected every year at Mahuli Ghat, it is dismantled during rainy season. This year, the peepa bridge has not been erected till now. People have no other option but to travel from the Mahuli Ghat in Khwaspur panchayat to Bairiya block in the Ballia district of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh by boat. Due to overloading, several boats have capsized in the recent years, resulting in several deaths. Therefore, a permanent bridge at Mahuli Ghat must be built at the earliest for the convenience of both the Bhojpur district residents and the adjacent Ballia.”
Also, drawing the attention of the Union minister for road transport towards the unfinished bridge, the Ara MP said, “The Shivpur Ghat has historical significance because this is the place where Veer Kunwar Singh, one of the prominent heroes of the 1857 revolt against the British, offered his injured arm to the holy Ganga. Both Mahuli and Shivpur ghats link Bihar to Ballia. Therefore, bridges must be built at these two ghats on an urgent basis,” the MP wrote.