Chhendipada: About 35 families live in Parang village under this block in Angul district. This village is only 10 kilometers away from the district headquarters office. Yet, 200 villagers of Parang have been deprived of all the basic necessities of life.
The village which came into existence about 40 years ago mainly houses tribals. However, there are no proper communication, drinking water and education facilities. “We have informed the government officials about our problems on many occasions, but the situation remains the same,” complained the irate villagers.
The villagers are forced to drink water from creeks and makeshift drains. “We know we can contract diseases by drinking such unhygienic water, but we have no option,” they informed.
Since the village doesn’t have a school or an Anganwadi centre, the children of Parang village have to trek a substantial distance every day to attend school at another village. And forget about electricity, Parang has been in the dark since its existence.
Most of the villagers are daily labourers and living below poverty line. But they are yet to get any benefits from the government’s schemes and programmes.
Narahari Sahoo, a villager, said they had first come to the area to work at stone quarries. Later on, they started living there, setting up Parang village.
“The administrative officials are aware of our problems. But when it comes to take action, they just avoid us citing one reason or the other,” said Sahoo.
Echoing his neighbour’s sentiment, Suresh Lagun informed that since they failed to get proper education, they want their children to go to schools and colleges. However, the government has not provided any education facility in the village.
When asked, block development officer Sunil Kumar Kerketa said the villagers are staying on the government and pasture land. That is why they have been deprived of government schemes. “A recce is required to find out what steps could be taken to improve the lives of the villagers in Parang village. We may conduct one soon,” Kerketa informed.
PNN
