Boat makers have brisk business in flood hit Bihar

Saharsa (Bihar), Aug. 30 : With the monsoon fury leaving millions of people marooned in north Bihar, the boat makers here are working day-and-night to meet the high demand for boats from the affected families.

As it takes two days to prepare one boat, people are staying near the boat making yards since they can't return without a boat to save their family. A normal large sized boat costs between 6,000 and 15,000 rupees.

On their part, the boat makers are capitalising on the urgent needs of the public.

"We are working day and night to assemble as many as boats possible because people are flocking us for boats. We are working sans any government aid in terms of wood or money. So we are trying our level best to make the best use of our profession, earn and save for a rainy day. People are coming here daily to get boats, and our job is to provide them," noted Kumud, a boat maker.

At the assembly yards of boat makers, people are queuing up for days as evident from one such boat maker in Sonbarsa Block of Saharsa District.

"Our condition has gone from bad to worse. Our crops and our livestock have died. Now we are migrating from this place. We will be going to a safer place; a place which is at a height where floods won't be disrupting our lives," said Ram Vilas Yadav, a villager.

Worse, there are a lot of flood affected people who have come under debts to procure boats for families' safety as well as of their belongings including livestock like goats, cows and buffaloes.

"We have taken loans from people to buy a boat, as we have plans to take our people and livestock to a safer place. We will try our level best to save our people. That's why we came here to get a boat. Government has not helped us in any way. Also no official has come to ask about our well-being," lamented Ramesh, another villager. By Rajneesh Kumar

ANI