BARIPADA: Amid the State government’s claims of prioritising the needs of the marginalised sections of the society, development is still a far cry in many pockets of the tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district. One such neglected community is Khadia, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), which continues to be deprived of basic amenities.
As many as 25 Khadia families residing in Dhipakocha village near Asuraghati hill under Bahalda block are struggling to survive in absence of proper housing, education, drinking water, electricity, healthcare and road connectivity. Besides, the benefits of MGNREGS, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana are yet to reach them. Villagers claim that their geographical proximity to Odisha-Jharkhand border is the reason behind government apathy.
Baskey and Ghasiya Dehuri, both in their early 60s, said villagers have to walk around one-and-a-half km to fetch clean drinking water from a stream. They eke out a living by collecting Sal leaves and other minor forest produce besides selling goats but the money is not enough to sustain their families. “Before the elections, political leaders come to our village and assure us of many facilities. But they disappear once the polls are over,” rued Manguli and Pana Dehuri.
Sources said, in absence of basic healthcare, tribals sometimes carry patients on cots to Bahalda hospital, situated 20 km from their village, due to the absence of proper roads. With a lack of knowledge about Covid-19, villagers suffering from cough, fever and cold are still dependent on quacks and traditional medicines.
Though a special Khadia Mankdia Development Project is functioning in the district, no awareness drive has been conducted by the Health department in the region during the pandemic. Contacted, block development officer (BDO) of Bahalda Hemanta Nayak said he will look into the matter and visit the village to address their problems.