Patna: The lack of an approach road has been blamed for sabotaging the marriage plans of more than 200 eligible bachelors in a single village in Bihar, virtually turning it into a “village of bachelors”.

All these young men are awaiting brides at Adhaura, a distant village in Kaimur district nestled atop a hill located some 200km south-west of Patna.

Villagers say no one wants to marry their girls off to youths from this village, since it lacks basic facilities like road, power and water.

The villagers have to trek some two kilometres on foot every day to reach the nearby town in Bhabua, headquarters town of Kaimur district.

Right now, there are some 200 young men who have eagerly been awaiting their marriage. “No one wants to wed their girls to us. They say their daughters will face a lot of hardship at this village. A few who came looking for prospective grooms never returned,” said Babu Lal, a youth awaiting bride.

“This is our fate. No one wants to establish relations with our village but what’s our fault? It’s the government which is responsible,” he said.

According to him, during the time of elections, each political party promises to link the village with a tarred road but that promise has proved empty till date. “The result is for everyone to see,” he said.

One woman, Janaki Devi, has three sons. All of them are of an age at which they can marry. She said she wanted to find brides for her sons but her wish remained unfulfilled to date.

“What can we do?” she asked.

Villagers say quite many bachelors have turned old, a few even died, looking for brides. However, those who are financially sound have managed to wed girls and settled elsewhere. But their number is very small.

The villagers were quite happy during the last 2015 assembly elections when the Grand Alliance’s chief ministerial candidate Nitish Kumar promised to link every village with roads and supply tap water to each household if his alliance comes to power.

The announcement brought a sort of joy among the villagers as they voted for Kumar. Kumar emerged victorious after the elections but the happiness is yet to come in the life of villagers. They are eagerly awaiting the day when their village will be linked by road and tap water will come to their home.

But, now the wait is turning too long, they say.