Kolimati: Fed up with the apathy of the administration, school kids of Kendudiha Sahi of Kolimati village of Keonjhar district took upon themselves to construct a concrete road Monday.
Armed with pickaxes, spades and crowbars the kids led by their teachers repaired the road from the school to the village by filling up all the pits and holes and clearing bushes by the roadside.
The children took up the work themselves after repeated pleas of villagers for a good road went unheard.
“As more and more students kept off the school due to the bad road, we decided to repair it ourselves and convinced the kids’ parents. The students came forward eagerly and joined in the work,” a teacher said.
It may be noted that there is no proper road to the village even 72 years after Independence. Many people have lost their lives unable to reach hospital in time.
Similarly, elderly woman and children suffer during rainy season as the road used to turn muddy. Moreover, vehicles cannot enter the village and people have to carry the ill on cots.
The villagers had approached the administration for a road, but it yielded no results. Many students stopped going to school due to the bad road. Often students used to get hurt when they fell due to the potholes on the road.
So the teachers and students of the school decided to construct the road themselves. Some of the villagers donated cement, some sand and gravel, while others offered labour. The children of all age groups were seen working at the site.
Hundreds of residents of the panchayat depend on this road. However, due to the lackadaisical attitude of the administration, the village has not got a concrete road till now.
When contacted, the local BDO said he would look into the issue and take steps after talks with the Collector.
PNN