No road to village: Odisha villagers protest outside Collector’s office after 24 years of ignored pleas

Hundreds of villagers of Deogaon under Odagaon block in Nayagarh district on Sunday staged a protest outside the Collector’s office over their long-standing demand for the construction of a crucial Sunamuhin-Ranganipatna PWD road to connect up to Deogaon and Bhaliadihi localities.

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Despite 24 years of persistent appeals, the road is yet to be built, leaving residents disconnected and frustrated. The villagers claimed, repeated requests to the district administration have gone unheard over the years.

In a bold move, the villagers staged a continuous day-and-night Dharna in front of Nayagarh Collector’s office (collectorate), demanding immediate action on the road project. Their protest drew attention and created pressure on the local administration.

Following the protest, the district administration provided a written assurance promising the immediate commencement of the road construction. Upon receiving the commitment, the villagers decided to withdraw their Dharna (sit-in protest).

The incident highlights the growing frustration in rural Odisha over basic infrastructure demands being neglected for over decades, despite being under the purview of the State development plans.

“A PWD road stretching from Ranganipatna to Sunamuhin has been halted for the last 24 years near Deogaon. Initially, when we had contacted Odagaon Works Department assistant engineer, he told us that the road construction work will not be started unless local tehsildar demarcates the route,” an agitating villager said to OTV when contacted.

“Moreover, the road construction will be started within seven days of obtaining tehsildar’s demarcation,” the agitating villager stated quoting the assistant engineer.

“In the meanwhile, local tehsildar has already submitted the requisite documents to Works Department, but the road construction has not started yet,” the villager rued.

No comments were received from the district administration in this regard.