BHADRAK: Even after 75 years of Independence, Vinoba Bhave Nagar and Gopabandhu Nagar villages in the Basudevpur block of Bhadrak district are yet to be connected with other areas by concrete roads. Residents of the villages depend on a 5-km kuchcha road to travel to Basudevepur town.
Another road between Pantia canal (Luna bandh) also connects with the road and it is used by people to go to sea for fishing and transporting cargo from Dhamra port. The bad shape of the road which turns muddy during monsoon has been causing inconvenience to locals.
Locals said the road cannot be used for travelling from mid- June and vehicles can ply on it only after November. Its impact can be seen at schools where attendance dips during monsoon. Rebati Giri, a local said there has been no change in the condition of the road since she got married 30 years back.
“During rainy season, it is even tough to ride a bicycle on it,” she rued. Another resident Kamal Pradhan said, “The 5-km road to the villages needs immediate repair. Sarpanch of Vinoba Bhave Nagar gram panchayat Aditya Kumar Giri said the road can be repaired and for this crores of rupees have to be spent.
He said, “The BDO and the district administration must look into the matter. I do not have the authority to grant funds for building a concrete road.” Basudevpur BDO Satyajit Rout said he will submit a proposal with the Rural Development (RD) department for building a concrete road to the villages.