RANCHI: A pregnant woman had to be carried to the main road on a 'bahangi' (a makeshift sling carrier) after an ambulance could not reach her village in Jharkhand's Gumla district due to the poor condition of the road.
Hira Kumari, a resident of Gunia village under Ghaghra block, was being taken to hospital for delivery when the ambulance driver found the road, which was covered with mud and riddled with large potholes, impassable.
Villagers then enlisted two men to carry her on a ‘bahangi’ from the village to the main road, a stretch of about one kilometer. She was subsequently taken by ambulance to Gumla Sadar Hospital.
According to villagers, the road has deteriorated further following the rains, making it difficult for vehicles to reach the village. They said the road's poor condition poses serious difficulties in transporting pregnant women, elderly people and critically ill patients to the main road during emergencies.
Villagers informed that a ‘kaccha’ road had been constructed in the village about two months ago using funds from the Panchayat's 15th Finance Commission allocation. It is alleged that the construction was merely a token effort; villagers claim that soil was simply dug up from the roadside and dumped onto the road surface.
“No attention was paid to quality during construction, causing the soil to wash away as soon as it rained. Large potholes subsequently formed in various places, and the entire road turned into a quagmire of mud,” said a villager requesting anonymity.
The road in Gunia village has deteriorated significantly following the rains, making it difficult for vehicles to enter the village, he added.
Villagers also alleged that the road deteriorated further shortly after its construction, and the condition is now such that four-wheelers find it difficult to reach the village. They said the problem becomes even more severe during the rainy season.
The villagers demanded an inquiry into the quality of the road construction and action against those responsible. They also sought repairs to ensure smooth access to the village.
They warned that if the road condition is not improved soon, it could become difficult to transport critically ill patients or pregnant women to the hospital on time.