Eight years on, 7-km road still incomplete! Tribal villages in Ganjam suffer isolation and network blackout

In Odisha's remote tribal region of Talaburatala under Patrapur block of Ganjam district, residents continue to suffer due to the non-completion of a mere 7-km road, even after eight long years. The villagers, dependent on a rugged, broken forest route, face daily hardship in travel, healthcare access, and basic movement.

Nestled amid hills, forests, and streams, the area’s only connecting road was sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana eight years ago, linking Talaburatala to Uparaburatala. However, the project remains stuck, with stretches so dilapidated that it is difficult to identify where work has progressed and where it hasn’t. 

Villages such as Tadingi, Badua, Dhovalingi, and Kuruguda rely on this route. Forest land disputes and ongoing court cases over land acquisition continue to stall the progress.

"Road construction was started from Talaburatala to Uparaburatala, a 7-km stretch, under Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojana, but the construction work was done for 4-km only. We are facing a lot of difficulties due to the non-motorable road," said Ramesh Pradhan, local of Upara Buratal.

Buratala sarpanch, Jyotsnarani Karji said that the road from Buratala connecting other villages washed away by rain and hence, people are facing a lot of difficulties in their daily movement.

Also Read: Pregnant woman carried on cot for 2km due to lack of motorable road

Speaking over the matter, Sumant Mohanty, Engineer of Rural Development Department, Patrapur, said that the tender work for most of the places has already been completed and once the agreement is done, work will start. "A few matters are sub judice in Orisaa High Court; the processing is on; we will inform the higher authorities so that the work can start at the earliest," assured Mohanty.

Network Vacuum Hits Education, Governance

Roads are not the only crisis, mobile network and internet connectivity are almost nonexistent in this panchayat. Children struggle to access digital learning tools, and smart classrooms remain unused due to the lack of connectivity. 

Radhika Sabar, a student, said, "We have informed our teacher about the problems we have been facing due to network issue. Due to network issue, we are also unable to avail the facility of online classes."

Panchayat offices, anganwadi centres, and government functionaries also face major hurdles as most official work now requires mobile-based reporting. For basic tasks, villagers either walk nearly 10 km to find signal or climb onto rooftops searching for connectivity. 

Also Read: Gajapati villagers travel miles, climb hill for mobile network; request Odisha govt intervention

Keshavati Pradhan, an Anganwadi worker, said, "Every work is being done on App like POSHAN tracker for daily distribution of eggs and chhatua. We are facing a lot of difficulties due to the network issue."

District Collector V. Keerthi Vasan said discussions with BSNL have been completed, and steps are being taken to resolve the network issue at the earliest.

While the Ganjam district of Odisha is currently witnessing rapid development in many regions, the people of Buratala continue to wait for basic roads and mobile connectivity.