RAYAGADA: IN a remote corner on the hilly terrains of Maoist affected district of Rayagada, a determined group of villagers are defying Maoist threats and have joined hands to build a road and get connected to the main land.The Dongria Kondhs of Paramali village in Niyamgiri hill area are laying a one km kuccha road from Paramali village in Parshalli panchayat of Kalyansinghpur block to Tamaksila village in the same block.
According to the villagers, Maoist attacks had brought road construction works to a halt in Niyamgiri hill areas. The Maoists had attacked the work site twice in 2017 and set on fire construction equipment of a company engaged in road work which instilled a fear among other firms and none came forward to take up the work under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).However, the villagers were not willing to lie down and decided to take up the cudgels to lay the road. Mandu Kunaka, a villager said the length of the road from Tamaksila village to Paramali village is nearly one km and after the work is over, the villagers can at least avail emergency services which they are deprived of till now.
Without roads, everything was an ordeal for the villagers – be it getting to the market or hospital. While basic necessities like repair of tubewells could not be carried out adding to water woes of villagers, seriously ill patients or pregnant women had to be carried on slings in the absence of an ambulance service.Saibu Kadraka of Paramali village said, “When we inform the block administration for repair works, they fail to reach our village as there is no motorable road at least to carry the equipment.”
While much cost is not involved, it is labour intensive and they are taking turns in widening the narrow two-foot pathway so that at least vehicles can come to the village and help them carry the patients and save lives, Kadraka added.
Everyday, men and women start work at the break of dawn and aim to complete the road at the earliest, he said. Once the road is laid, it will allow the villagers of Tevapada, Kadrakabandali, Thuta and Panchkadi to avail essential services and transportation facilities faster and more comfortably.According to sources, besides Kalyansighpur village, the people in villages of Muniguda block too remain affected by the Maoist threats and development works have come to a halt. The Left Wing Extremiss are demanding a road width of five feet instead of 12 feet under PMGSY.Earlier, the Maoists had also halted a road work from Tebhapada to Kadrakabandali village which was constructed under MGNREGA in Kalyansinghpur block.