For five months, people living on either side of the Arun River at Satighat had to leave their vehicles behind and cross on foot. That ended on Wednesday, October 14, when the ferry started running again.
The service now carries light vehicles between northern Bhojpur and Sankhuwasabha. The timing matters, because families are travelling for Dashain and Tihar. Shadananda Municipality Mayor Surendra Kumar Udas said the ferry resumed on that day.
Why the ferry stopped
The ferry was suspended during the monsoon. Rising river levels and strong currents made it unsafe to operate. That has happened before. The service has run since 2019, but it shuts down each monsoon.
While it is closed, residents have had to use a suspension bridge and carry their goods across on foot. That is slow for passengers and hard for anyone moving food, supplies or other heavy loads.
Who benefits
The crossing serves residents of Shadananda Municipality in Bhojpur and Salpasilichho Rural Municipality in Sankhuwasabha.
It is a key link connecting northern Bhojpur with Sankhuwasabha and onward routes towards the Terai.
With the ferry back, people can again travel and move daily necessities by vehicle, instead of by foot.
The bigger problem: no permanent bridge
There is no permanent bridge at Satighat. That is why a seasonal ferry carries the traffic and why the annual closure keeps recurring. The reopening brings immediate relief, especially in the festival season. It does not fix the underlying weakness, which is a vehicle crossing that disappears for part of every year.
A permanent bridge remains a long-term need for reliable year-round connectivity.
Background
A typical dry-season operation from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and said more than 100 vehicles crossed daily during operating periods.
