NAINITAL: Despite grand government claims of connecting every village with a road network, the harsh reality in Uttarakhand paints a starkly different picture.
Just a mere three kilometres from the bustling Nainital district headquarters lies Gairkhet, a village frozen in time. Its residents are grappling with the profound isolation of living without a single motorable road.
This lack of basic connectivity doesn't just hinder development; it dictates every aspect of life, from education, healthcare, to even the very prospects of marriage. Each morning, schoolchildren embark on a gruelling 10-kilometre round trip on winding, treacherous paths to reach schools in Nainital.
"It takes us nearly two hours just to commute, and we live in constant fear of wild animals," recounts Himani Bisht, a student, highlighting the daily peril.
Healthcare is a distant dream; the sick, especially pregnant women, must be carried on shoulders or makeshift palanquins to the B.D. Pandey District Hospital in Nainital.
"Several pregnant women had miscarriages due to delays in reaching the hospital; one woman, despite four pregnancies, lost all her cases," tragically shares Hema, a local resident.
Perhaps, the most heartbreaking consequence is the village's inability to secure marital alliances. "The biggest problem is that due to the lack of a road, young boys and girls here do not get wedding proposals," shares local resident Deepika.
Hema corroborates: "Our sons and daughters are growing older; but no one wants to marry into a village without a road." This grim reality has forced nearly half the village to migrate. The lack of connectivity impacts daily life severely.
Even basic necessities come at a steep price; villagers pay up to Rs 500 to labourers just to ferry household goods. "Our fresh vegetables and fruits rot in the fields because there's no way to transport them to the city market," laments Dheeraj, a local.
Replacing an empty gas cylinder means Rs 400 as labour charges for carrying it on the shoulders from the city. "No official seems to care about our plight," he adds.
Manish Jalal adds to the safety concerns: "We have to walk long distances, and there’s always the danger of stones falling upon, especially for children."
Nainital Municipal Councillor Bhagwat Singh Rawat offers a contrasting view, stating, "There is no village in Nainital district that has not yet been connected by road. All villages have link roads and all kinds of facilities are being provided."
However, he concedes the Gairkhet issue: "The demand for a road in Gairkhet has been pending since 2008, but for unknown reasons, it hasn't been built yet."
As Gairkhet continues its isolated existence, its residents can only hope that their desperate cries for connectivity will finally be heard, paving the way for a future where roads don't just connect places, but also lives and dreams.
District Magistrate Vandana Singh stated that the process had been delayed due to technical obstacles in forest land transfer, but now the proposal has been cleared at all levels and has reached the Government of India.
Answers to some queries raised by the central government have also been sent, and the department is working on it expeditiously.