BERHAMPUR: Kesapanga, a tribal village, under Soroda block in Ganjam district is electrified, has healthcare, drinking water facility and a primary school. Despite all the facilities, the villagers remain cut off from the rest of the block. Reason: Absence of an approach road has virtually rendered all the facilities waste.
Located barely 7 km from panchayat office at Goudagotho and 50 km from block office, a muddy road is the only link that connects Kesapanga with the mainstream. Neither Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana nor Biju Sadak Yojana has reached the tiny village, which houses 28 tribal families.
While villagers say they could still cross the un-approachable muddy narrow road on foot, what has been making things difficult for them is that they have to cross a nullah, which has water all year round, to reach Goudagotho.
Under such a situation availing benefits from block headquarters becomes a difficult task. The villagers have ration cards but cannot avail the benefits. They are compelled to carry patients on slings and cots to the nearest approachable road before taking an ambulance and children drop out of school as they have to risk their lives by crossing the nullah to reach UP Schools.
Their troubles have only spiked in monsoon as the muddy road has breached at several places after a few spells of rain. The villagers alleged that elected representatives and local administration have been apprised about their plight, but to no avail.
“The demand for a better road is nearly a decade old but none of the leaders has visited the area to understand our plight,” said a villager.
The irony is Soroda has the highest number of remote and inaccessible villages in the district but that has failed to draw the attention of the leaders who come only for votes before elections, he added.
Sarpanch Ram Sankar said, “we have apprised the Collector of the matter and demanded an all-weather road to the village.” During Monday’s grievance cell, the Collector has also been requested to construct a bridge over the nullah under Biju Setu Yojana, the Sarpanch added. “If our appeal is not heard at the earliest, we would stage a dharna in front of the block office,” he said.