Badasahi: There are many schemes of both the Central and the Odisha governments to provide proper road facilities to people. However, despite schemes like Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and National Rural Roads Development Agency (NRRDA), many are still deprived of getting proper roads to commute.
Fed up with negligence of the administration despite repeated pleas, SHG women of Bathudibadh village under Pratapur panchayat of Badasahi block in Mayurbhanj district planted paddy seedlings on a road leading up to their village.
The locals allege that their village, which is barely one kilometer from Sananuagaon, has been neglected for years. The villagers said that the administration has been informed of their perennial problem many times but to no avail.
Notably, around 800 people of 150 families reside in the village and depend on this stretch of the road to reach anywhere for their daily needs. However, bad road conditions have made it worse for them.
Pregnant women, schoolchildren, and elderly persons were the worst sufferers. Moreover, the incessant rain has further compounded their woes with artificial pits dugout on the road.
It may be noted that due to the lack of a proper motorable road, ambulances fail to reach the village. This triggered resentment among the villagers who decided to plant paddy seedlings on the muddy road.
The SHG women of Maa Tarini, Maa Biraja, and Maa Haladigundi alleged that construction is far away as even murram has not been put on the way. They also warned that they would next resort to agitation if appropriate steps are not taken to solve their problem within 15 days.
The village Sarpanch Sasmita Nayak said, “Rs 2 lakh has already been passed in the accounting year 2017-18 for the construction of concrete road under Action Plan. An additional Rs 2 lakh is required. Only after the clearance of the Action Plan can the construction begin.”
PNN