Odisha Elections 2024: Balasore villagers hellbent on ‘no road, no vote’ decision

Elections come every five years with loads of promises from leaders, but many promises have remained unfulfilled to date. This is what the villagers of Kaingadia under Khaira block in Balasore lament. 

Frustrated over unfulfilled promises, the residents have decided to stay away from exercising their franchise this time.

Over the years, the people of the village have been experiencing commuting woes because of a lack of proper road connectivity. Ironically, owing to the apathy of the political leaders and the administration, the perennial issue of road communication has not been resolved, they rued.

Asked about their decision on the poll boycott, one of the villagers said, “The village needs a road. This is a long-pending issue. In the monsoons, our woes compound when we fail to venture out of the village and the ambulance does not get an access to the village during medical emergencies.”

The villagers pointed out instances of patients dying due to delayed medical attention. “This year, a critically ill woman could not be shifted to a hospital in time, as an ambulance could not reach,” a villager lamented.

Perennial ordeal

A woman narrated the ordeal and said, “The village road is in such bad shape that it has turned out to be a real nightmare for us. For a long time, we have been demanding reconstruction of the road. If the road is reconstructed before the elections, we will vote,” she said.

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An elderly woman said, "When elections come, leaders come running to the village for votes. They are not seen after elections. They promised us to set the road right, but never did it election after election. We have long been fighting for a road.”
However, no comments from the block administration and any of the candidates have been received