Nayagarh/Ranapur: They say that where there is a will, there is a way. The tribals of Raanla village, belonging to Bandhamunda panchayat under Ranpur block in Nayagarh district has proved the adage. They have shown the Odisha government that they cannot be taken for a ride anymore. Tired of waiting for the government to complete a half-constructed bridge for five years now, they joined hands and made a wooden bridge over it. It was their way of reminding the state government of its responsibility.
The tribal people have threatened to boycott the panchayat elections next year if the road and bridge are not completed on time.
Raanla is a tribal village. Since there is no all-weather road, one can’t reach the village even by bicycle, let alone by motorcycles and four wheelers all through the year. During rainy season, a gushing rivulet separates it from the rest of the world.
However, Raanla village is a well-known tourist spot because of the presence of the Maa Khilamunda shrine. Except for the monsoons people from all parts of Odisha flock to the village.
However, in spite of its eminence, the residents of the village, particularly the students, face miseries the year round due to the lack of a proper road and a bridge over the rivulet. Students cannot attend schools during the entire rainy season.
The government had initiated steps to build a bridge over the rivulet five years ago. As construction started, the villagers were hopeful that their days of sufferings would end soon. However, that did not happen, as half-way through the construction, work stopped. There were no reasons provided why the construction of the bridge had been suspended. Had it been completed, not only the residents of Raanla would have benefited, but also those of Chakundajhar and Dimiribari villages.
Fed up with government apathy, the locals decided to take the matter into their own hands. They built a wooden bridge, the work of which was completed during this year monsoons only. Now the villagers of Raanla are using the bridge.
Representing the villagers, Sameer Pradhan pointed out that there is no need for the Odisha government to launch schemes if the benefits of those remain elusive to the people living in far-flung areas of the state.
“To go out of the village, we have to trudge through muddy roads and cross the river. We fail to understand why construction of the bridge was left half-way through the job. Fed up with government apathy, we decided to construct a wooden bridge spending money from our own pockets,” stated Pradhan.
“It seems that the government does not recognise the troubles that we face. The bridge that we have constructed is only a temporary arrangement. So it should come forward and finish the work on the permanent bridge. Unless they do so, we will boycott the next panchayat elections,” Pradhan threatened.
Pradhan’s statement was supported by Laxmidhar Jani. “The village is famous for the Maa Khilamunda shrine. Devotees and tourists visit the shrine all the year round. Keeping this in view, the bridge should have been completed. But nothing has been done in this regard. We have taken up the issue with the sarpanch, BDO, district collector and even the local MLA but to no avail. If the bridge is not completed at the earliest, we will definitely boycott the coming panchayat election,” asserted Jani.
