Kendrapara: A visit to Angulai gram panchayat’s Matiasahi in Marshaghai block would give an indication that government schemes remain a pipedream for its Dalit inhabitants.
Around 70 families with a population of around 500 stay in the Matiasahi Basti in ward no-10. The villagers earn their bread by digging the earth for the construction of houses and roads and most of them are illiterate.
Although they have been staying here for decades they do not have any basic facilities. The villagers have not got the fruits of any government sponsored housing schemes, roads or safe drinking water. The anganwadi building is incomplete.
“Most families here have not got any government benefits. The district administration has never visited our village and we think they consider us untouchables. Though we have voter ID cards, Aadhaar cards and some of our elderly persons are getting subsidised food grains through NFSA ration cards, old age and widow pensions, the district administration has failed to enroll us for housing schemes,” said Paki Pradhan, a villager.
The Dalits said their main problem is that most families are staying in rundown buildings without doors and windows, which were constructed by the Karnataka Government after the 1999 super cyclone. Now the roofs are falling down. Even if there is a slight drizzle families have to take shelter at the Mathasahi Project Primary School. The houses get flooded during rains and vipers regularly come in.
The villagers said they have approached the sarpanch, the BDO of Marshaghai and the Collector for housing schemes, but to no avail.
The socio-economic caste enumeration drive has not been done in the village. As some of the families were living in strong buildings the administration has not given them an opportunity to apply for housing schemes, said Manguli Pradhan, a villager.
He said not even a single villager has got either an IAY or a Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana house except the ward member. The ward member, Gouri Pradhan, managed to get a pucca house under a housing scheme.
The village road is replete with potholes and ditches. During rains, the villagers move out by wading through knee deep water. The road itself was constructed by locals by spending money from their own pockets, said Pratima Pradhan.
Another major problem of the village is lack safe drinking water. The village has only one tube well.
Many of the villagers here have failed to get themselves enrolled for getting subsidised food grain under NFSA, although they have filed applications with the Executive Officer and had also raised the matter with the BDO of Marshaghai.
The Anganwadi centre’s roof is not yet complete although several years have passed since the centre was constructed.
Due to ignorance and illiteracy the Dalits of Matiasahi have failed to get many benefits. They do not know about Harischandra Yojana, Mahaprayan Yojana and Biju Swasthya Bima Yojana, villagers said.
“The government has been providing toilets under the Swachha Bharat Abhijana, but it has not yet reached the village. Everybody goes to the fields to defecate. Most of the time women face harassment,” the villagers said.
“During elections many leaders visit Matiasahi and give promises. But once the polls are over we are forgotten,” the villagers said.
The Sarpanch of Kuhudi Gram Panchayat, Durgabati Pradhan, said that she is aware about the problems of Matiasahi and steps would be taken to solve them.
Collector Dasarathy Satapathy said he came to know about the problems of Matiasahi and would direct the BDO to visit the village.