AHMEDABAD: In what can only be described as a shocking indictment of Gujarat’s 'development model', a disturbing video from Khenda village in Naswadi in Chhota Udepur district has once again ripped the mask off the State’s rural infrastructure reality.
On June 20, a pregnant tribal woman had to be carried in a cloth sling -- not by paramedics, but by villagers -- through treacherous terrain to reach a hospital as even basic access to road is absent.
Meanwhile, this isn’t the first time such visuals have emerged from Chhota Udepur.
Despite repeated pleas, protests, and promises, the administration has failed to provide a lifeline -- a simple paved road -- for the people belonging to the remote tribal belts.
The video that surfaced on June 20 is a repeat of what has become a tragic routine in the area: critical patients being hoisted like loads, carried across muddy stretches to reach an ambulance waiting on the main road.
Villagers reveal that even top officials, including the Collector and the Taluka Development Officer (TDO), have been stuck in the same area due to the pathetic road conditions.
Yet, nothing changed. “Pregnant women and the critically ill are regularly carried in this dangerous way,” a local resident said. “Sometimes, people don’t survive the delay," he added.
Locals claim that despite multiple representations, the cries of these tribal communities remain unheard.
The incident recalls an earlier tragedy from October 2024, when a woman in labor from Turkheda village died after being carried in a sling due to the absence of roads.
The horrifying event led the Gujarat High Court to order the construction of roads in such regions. However, the ground reality remains unchanged, even after multiple months.
The continuing string of similar incidents indicate not only administrative apathy but also a blatant disregard for the judiciary’s orders.
Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi launched a fierce attack on the BJP-led state government, saying, “This is an incident that once again shames Gujarat due to the indifferent rulers. The government keeps blowing its trumpet of development and health services, but the reality is that even jeeps of Collectors have been trapped in these muddy patches.”
Calling it a systemic betrayal of the tribal population, Doshi alleged that the government’s policy of injustice against tribal areas has been exposed.
He questioned the very existence of developmental funds, saying, “Crores are being siphoned off in the name of rural offices. Where is this development money going to?”
He demanded the immediate construction of functional roads in such neglected pockets.
“Is the government waiting for another death to wake up?,” he asked.
While the visuals circulate widely on social media, shaking public conscience, the silence from the state machinery remains deafening.
With each such incident, the idea of ‘Viksit Bharat’ -- Developed India -- feels more like a hollow slogan for the villagers of Chhota Udepur, who are still being forced to carry their sick on slings, in 2025.