JAGATSINGHPUR: Deprived of basic facilities over the years, tribal villagers of Dharadhar under Raghunathpur block restricted the entry of different candidates contesting for the post of ward member, sarpanch, panchayat samiti member and zilla parishad member to the village, as a mark of protest on Saturday. They have also vowed to boycott the elections if their issues are not addressed with immediate effect.
As per reports, nearly 200 tribals are residing in Ward 3 and Ward 4 of Dharadhar village for last 40-50 years. But basic amenities like road connectivity, power supply, drinking water and access to various government welfare schemes continue to elude them even today. According to the tribal residents, they fall prey to empty assurances by political leaders each time during polls only to be disheartened later. If the candidates want votes, they must fulfill the essential demands first instead of wooing villagers with money, they said.
“During every election, political leaders visit our village, make pompous promises and give us sops to garner support. But once the polls are over, things are back to square one. This time, there will be no voting unless our plight is addressed,” said Babuli Majhi. Other villagers echoed similar sentiments.
Dharadhar sarpanch Pramila Mallick admitted that road construction has been affected in the village over land dispute. Besides, there is no electricity in the village and only two persons have been able to avail the government housing schemes.
Contacted, Raghunathpur block development officer (BDO) Jitendra Nayak said, “The administration is not aware of these issues in the village. Steps will be taken to address the grievances and villagers will be convinced to cast votes.”