Kantabanji: Over seven decades have passed since the independence, but people of Maoist-prone Dangamara village located in a reserve forest under Turekela block of Bolangir have been deprived of basic facilities. Development is miles away from them, locals alleged.
Most of the residents in the village are tribals whose livelihood depends on collection and sales of minor forest produce.
In the hilly area, people have been suffering from absence of basic facilities like road connectivity, drinking water, electricity and education.
Locals lamented that various welfare schemes of the government are dream for them.
People feed on water of creeks and pits while oil lamp is the only means of lighting the houses after sunset.
The village is located in Dhundei reserve forest area. This village comprises four hamlets like Barihamunda, Pahariapada, Guhariapada and Dangamara.
“As our village has not been given a revenue village status, no government schemes are being implemented. All have made their houses with their own efforts.” They lamented.
For the village kids, school education is an impossible proposition. 30 to 40 kids need to have pre-primary education through Anganwadi centre.
Some children have to trek six km though hilly terrains to study at Badadakala Ashram school. Damanchuan primary school is four km from the village. But children have to risk their lives in traveling through wildlife-infested hilly terrains, villagers said.
“We have dug out pits in farmland where we collect water. In summer, water in pits goes dry. We have no other way but to walk seven km to bring water from Dabala creek,” they narrated.
No healthcare facilities are in the region. Quacks are the only support for treatment in the forested region.
In emergency cases, patients are either carried to Badadakala Ayurvedic centre or Turekela CHC or Komna CHC (in Nuapada district), which are around 20 km away from the village.
PNN