Thuamul Rampur/Kashipur: Bauxite mining continues on the hills above, while villagers below are carrying stones, soil and tree trunks to build a road and a makeshift bridge they need to reach schools, the panchayat office, ration supplies and farmland.
The situation has come to light in Mali village under Chandragiri gram panchayat in Kashipur block of Rayagada district, where residents have taken up construction of a temporary road and wooden bridge with their own labour after repeated appeals for better connectivity failed to yield a permanent solution.
Residents of Mali, Paik Sahi and School Sahi joined hands to lay soil and stones on the approach road and construct a wooden bridge over the river using tree trunks, wood, stones and earth.
For schoolchildren, elderly people and pregnant women, the poor connectivity poses serious difficulties, residents said.
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During the monsoon, rising water levels in the river and nearby streams make the route impassable. Residents are then forced to take longer and risky forest routes to travel between the villages and other areas.
Villagers said they have repeatedly raised the issue with the sarpanch, panchayat samiti member, block and district administrations, as well as the mining company, but a permanent road and bridge have remained elusive.
With no lasting solution in sight, residents held a meeting and decided to rely on their own labour. They said they build a wooden bridge every year, only to see it washed away by monsoon waters, forcing them to rebuild it.
The villagers questioned the lack of basic infrastructure in an area affected by bauxite mining. They said the government and mining companies generate substantial revenue from the region, while people in surrounding villages continue to struggle for basic road connectivity.
Residents have demanded immediate construction of a permanent paved road and bridge on the main route to ensure reliable, year-round connectivity for the affected villages.