Kendrapara: Inhabitants of riparian Gangadhar Prasad Diha village under Trailokyapur gram panchayat in Rajkanika block are leading a cursed life in the absence of basic amenities such as road, education and healthcare.
According to locals, the village with a population of about 2,000 is crisscrossed by Kharasrota and Baitarani rivers. Since its founding, the villagers have been facing a lot of difficulties in connecting with the outer world.
The only communication system available to them is a rickety country boat. Most of the time the villagers are forced to remain confined to the village due to the rickety boat.
The villagers have to depend on the boat on a regular basis by risking their lives to go to the block or tehsil offices or schools and colleges.
Though there is a school in the village, students face a lot of problems due to lack of classrooms. Only two teachers have been entrusted by the education department to teach 75 students in the school, said Chinmayee Behera, a villager.
Due to lack of communication facilities, most of the children are forced to leave their studies mid-way, said Sukadev Behera, another villager.
Parents find it impossible to find brides for their sons as nobody wants to see an uncertain future of their sisters or daughters, said some locals.
The villagers are deprived of healthcare due to lack of communication. If a person falls sick or a pregnant woman wants medical attention, villagers take the person in a sling to the river ghat by wading through the river for about a kilometre.
Later, the family members of the patient have to communicate with the Rajkanika community health centre, nearly 25 kilometers away, to provide treatment to the patient.
Locals alleged that though they had taken up the issues with the district administration several times, their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
Collector Reghu G said he has come to know about the matter and the district administration would take steps to provide basic facilities to the villagers. PNN
