Athamalik: For years, life in Bipradiha village of Maimura panchayat in Athamalik block of Angul district is in a state of gloom, for there is no power supply to the village for years.
Resentment is brewing in the area in the absence of a paved road and consequently, the villagers are deprived of many government schemes here.
The fear of tigers and other wild animals straying into human habitations from the nearby Satkosia reserve forest has added to the woes of the villagers. The people here are afraid of stepping out of their houses after sunset.
Bipradiha which had around 100 tribal families has no basic amenities even though it is just 7 kilometres away from the panchayat office.
“The district administration has ignored our problems. Even though power distribution poles were installed in 2016 there is no power supply to our village till now,” allege the locals.
Panic gripped the village recently when a calf was killed by a tigress that had entered a human settlement, said a villager.
Children are risking their lives as they have to take a route through the forest to reach the Maimura High School due to lack of a proper road. Health services in the area are endangered as the people depend on the Thakurgarh Hospital which is 17 km away.
The villagers said despite repeated requests to the block and district administration their problems remain unresolved.
The villagers have urged the authorities to provide road connectivity, drinking water, health services and electricity to the village.
PNN