SAMBALPUR: Even as a row rages across southern Odisha districts where Andhra Pradesh government is accused of border violations, inhabitants of five villages in Bargarh’s Paikamal block have reportedly expressed their intent to merge with Chhattisgarh.
The reason: The residents of five villages under Chardapali gram panchayat are miffed with the administration for not paying heed to their long-pending problems.On Saturday, a group of villagers met Chhattisgarh’s Saraipali MLA Kismat Lal Nand and handed him a letter. They alleged that Odisha government has turned blind eye to their plight.
Situated along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border, Chardapali is around 18 km from Padampur sub-divisional headquarter town. The gram panchayat comprises Luhurakot, Lahandipur, Chardapali, Changria (Gastidihi) besides Gunchadihi villages. Over the years, villagers say, they have suffered due to lack of road connectivity as Ong river flows between the GP and Padampur sub-division. There is no bridge to cross the river.
Residents of the GP say they have been demanding a bridge over Ong river to connect with other parts of Bargarh district since long but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Rakshapal Sahu, a villager, said though the gram panchayat has a population of 5,000, there is no road connectivity from other parts of the district.
“We cross Ong river to go to Padampur and other areas for a major part of the year but the situation becomes terrible during monsoon. In absence of any alternative, we have to depend on boats to go to other parts of our own district,” he said.
Access to healthcare facilities is also affected in absence of road. “In case of medical emergencies, we have to arrange a vehicle to travel through Saraipali in Chhattisgarh to reach the sub-divisional and district headquarters towns,” he said.
“Though we have been demanding for a bridge connecting Chardapali with Lakhmara over river Ong since long, Odisha government is not considering our plight. It would be better for us if the GP is merged with Chhattisgarh. Hence, we met the Chhattisgarh MLA and expressed our willingness,” Sahu added.
Contacted, Bargarh Collector Jyoti Ranjan Pradhan said, “We don’t have any information about Chardapali villagers expressing interest to merge with neighbouring Chhattisgarh.”