Pradeep Pattanayak

Development seems to have bypassed Dimitiguda village under Bandhugaon block in Koraput district. An under-construction bridge has only added to the villagers’ woes. 

There is a rivulet flowing at the end of Dimitiguda village. In rainy season, the rivulet is in spate, cutting off the village from the rest of the world. In absence of a bridge, the villagers find it difficult to shift a serious patient or a pregnant woman to hospital as ambulance can’t reach their village. 

After several protests and meetings with local administrative officials, a bridge was sanctioned. The construction work started two years ago. But it is yet to be completed. 

The contractor had constructed a temporary road alongside the under-construction bridge for easy transportation of construction materials.

The villagers were also using the same road. But a portion of the road was washed away under the impact of Nor’wester rain. 

“In the absence of a bridge, we are facing a lot of problems. As ambulances can’t reach our village, we face problems while shifting a serious patient or a woman in labour pain. In rainy season, our village is cut off from the rest of the world. People can’t go out of the village to get their works done,” said Kadraka Gutana, a villager. 

“We are facing a lot of problems as we don’t have a bridge here. I am a teacher at a school in Dimitiguda village. To reach the village, I cover a distance of six kilometers-four kilometers on bike and the rest two kilometers on foot. In rainy season, the problem gets worse,” said Dharanidhara Swain, a teacher. 

While drinking water facility has been on the wish list of the villagers for the last several years, the benefits of government yojanas and schemes including Awas Yojana are also eluding them.

When contacted over his mobile phone, R.D. Behera, JE, Bandhugaon said, “We will finish the construction work within a month.”

The Bandhugaon BDO couldn’t be contacted for his reaction to the allegations of villagers.

 

(Reported by Surya Panda, OTV) 
 

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