Aathrai Sankranti bazaar wears a deserted look

June 23, 2001
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TEHRATHUM, June 23 – Athrai Sankranti bazaar, one of the flourishing market-places for the people of three districts including Tehrathum, Taplejung and Panchthar at one time, now wears a completely deserted look.

The once booming commercial centre where vast number of people thronged from three districts for marketing purposes is gradually being reduced to a small local market for people of a few VDCs after it has turned into a remote place due to lack of transportation.

All the government offices and banks located at this bazaar have been removed to the district headquarters not only because this bazaar was rendered as a remote place but also as a result of the Maoist activities.

The attraction of this place was so great in the past that people from as far as Olangchung Gola also used to visit this commercial centre for buying things in the past.

There was time when people from about 70 VDCs from three districts thronged this place from far and near and were seen engaged in business activities at Athrai Sankranti bazaar from morning until late in the evening. On the contrary, people from a couple of VDCs come to buy their essential goods like matches and spices these days.

The motorable road that linked Dhankuta with Dharan reached only up to Tehrathum, the district headquarters, and was not extended further toward Athrai. In the same way, the Mechi road also linked Ilam, Panchthar and Taplejung districts from the east of Athrai, instead of crossing over the Tamor river to link Athrai. Thus, this place remained completely cut off from transportation, and this heralded the downfall of the once popular commercial centre of Athrai Sankranti bazaar.

Apparently, lack of modern development infrastructure has forced the businessmen to shun this bazaar and look for more viable commercial centres because with the development of road, electricity and other related amenities in other places people hardly come to this place walking long distances.

Most of the businessmen have left this place and moved to more lucrative business centres. They left this place and went to different places, such as Jhapa and Morang with the removal of government offices, which spelt a doom for the bazaar.

“That is the reason why we have also left Sankranti bazaar and have shifted to his place,” Said Shankar Prasad Dhungel who is now running his business at Phidim, headquarters of Panchthar district.

“Transactions to the tune of 500 to 700 thousand rupees per day was normal in the past, but now only a few customers and some 100 to 200 students are seen in the bazaar. There is no transaction. The only activities are playing carom and passing the time,” says a local businessman, Tulsi Prasad Dahal, remembering the prosperous old days.

Another businessman Krishna Prasad Thapaliya said the din and bustle of the thriving market has died down. Physical facilities are decreasing instead of increasing. People are not ready to live in the empty houses at the bazaar even free of cost.

The irony is that people of this place have to go out to buy even the essential goods today. It has caused a negative impact in the living standard of the local people, Yuva Raj Sitaula said.

Tehrathum DDC president Kishor Chandra Dulal said Athrai which is considered historic from different aspects has been abandoned due to lack of road facility. It can once again regain its lost glory if it is linked by a two-way road network : Myanglung-Athrai road and Panchthar-Athrai road, he added. Many locals still think all is not lost.