BERHAMPUR: Over 100 tribal families residing in Rubal village under Purunapani panchayat in R Udayagiri block of Gajapati district still await basic amenities, including a motorable road, drinking water supply, electricity, healthcare and educational facilities.
Villagers claimed that they have to trek nearly 6 km through dense forests and hilly terrain to reach the gram panchayat office for ration, government services or emergencies. The absence of road connectivity has made access to healthcare almost impossible.
Residents said patients, including pregnant women, often fail to reach hospitals on time and are forced to rely on traditional herbal remedies. Children are also treated using indigenous practices, as health workers have allegedly not visited the village for years.
With no electricity, residents depend on solar lamps, while the absence of a drinking water supply has added to their hardships. Education is another major concern, as the nearest school is about 3 km away in Jadapani village, forcing many children to drop out or remain out of school. Anganwadi services have also been severely affected. Owing to the lack of road connectivity, beneficiaries, including pregnant women, have to walk nearly 6 km to collect eggs and supplementary nutrition from a roadside distribution point.
Villagers alleged that eggs are supplied only once every two to three months and that they are often given undated chhatua packets and worm-infested rice. They also claimed that several elderly persons and widows have been deprived of pension benefits.
Demanding immediate construction of a road and the provision of essential services, the villagers warned that they would boycott the upcoming panchayat elections if their long-pending grievances were not addressed. Residents stated that they would not participate in the ensuing panchayat elections unless their longstanding demands were fulfilled.
Anganwadi worker Urvashi Bhuyan said she is unable to visit the village because of the lack of road connectivity, forcing her to distribute supplementary nutrition at the roadside.
R Udayagiri CDPO Lalita Pujari said the absence of communication and transport facilities makes door-to-door delivery of supplementary nutrition difficult. However, efforts are being made to ensure services reach remote habitations, she added.
Sub-collector Anup Panda said the Rural Development department has been directed to take up road construction to Rubal village. He also assured that the allegations regarding irregularities in the distribution and quality of supplementary nutrition would be investigated.
