The block administration woke up from its deep slumber and reached out to the villagers of Paduguda area under Dasmantpur block of Koraput district after four-year-old Sonali Das’ speech during Independence Day celebration.
Dasmantpur BDO, assistant engineer, officials of water and sanitation department, education department, livestock department and supply officials inspected the village and held a meeting with the villagers.
“After the little girl’s viral speech, the block administration reached the village to know the ground reality. The main problem of the village is connection and communication. There are no proper road connectivity and other network facilities in the village,” said the Dasmantpur BDO Dambarudhar Mallick.
The BDO has assured to apprise the district Collector of all the problems of the village for taking necessary steps in this regard.
The visit of the officials has brought a sigh of relief for the villagers who were left unheard for years together. They have now warned of boycotting the upcoming 2024 elections if their grievances are not resolved.
“The BDO visited the village along with the engineers and other block officials. We are hopeful that developmental works will commence in the village after the visit of the officials. We will be forced to boycott the upcoming elections if no steps are taken in this regard,” said a local Tarun Saunta.
Worth mentioning, Sonali Das, a student of Koraput Saraswati Sishu Mandir, had narrated the problems about her village in front of invited guests during her I-Day celebration.
During her cute speech, she narrated, “There is no road connectivity to our village. We are facing problems. We don’t have a drinking water facility. There is no well or tube well in our village. We are collecting water from a pit. Whenever anyone falls ill, we carry him on a cot to medical. As there is no telecom tower, we can’t use mobile phones. The government officials are telling about the development of the village. But no development has taken place in our village.”