Jajpur: The hilltop Nagada, a cluster of villages under Sukinda block in Jajpur district, shot to ill fame for malnutrition deaths among children in July, 2016. The issue had acquired serious proportions and hogged national and international headlines. Concerned over the development, the state government with an aim to ward off malnutrition and resultant deaths had launched various developmental programmes including launching of regular bus service to these villages. The government also spent funds worth Rs 13 crore and built a road to the hilltop villages by cutting the hill. However, the bus service stopped suddenly after running for a month.
Reports said the bus service for the Juang villagers of Nagada villages and adjoining villages was launched August 11, 2017 in the presence of Sukinda MLA and state Rural Development Minister Preetiranjan Ghadai. Ghadai flagged off a private bus ‘Maa’ in the presence of other guests. The bus plied for a month without any hiccup. The Juang tribals living in Nagada villages also became accustomed to the bus service as it eased their drudgery and labour in travelling long distance on foot.
However, the bus developed snags after a month and has since stopped plying on the route. Meanwhile, five years have passed but the bus service has not resumed since then. It is alleged that the road which was constructed by spending Rs 13 crore is now being used for movement of vehicles of government officials. The malnutrition deaths of children in Nagada villages first came to notice in July, 2016. The state government decided to construct a road first to the villages to provide accessibility to the villagers. It was then said that it is impossible to bring in development to the Nagada villages without providing proper communication facility.
A road was first constructed from Ashokjhar to Lower Nagada village by the Rural Works Division in Jajpur in FY 2017-18 at a plan outlay of Rs 13.22 crore. However, the concerned officials only used murram and metal to construct the road along with a drain on the left side. The drain was constructed to aid the flow of rainwater to the ground from the hilltop during the rainy season. The officials neither concretized the drain nor constructed a blacktopped road.
As a result, the drain got buried later while big potholes came up on the road due to sub-standard works. Reports said that the Nagada villages comprising lower Nagada, Middle Nagada, Upper Nagada, Tumuni, and Guhiasal villages are tugged in the remote hills of mineral-rich Sukinda block where basic facilities of education, healthcare, transport, communication, and drinking water are a dream for the tribal dwellers.
Tumuni and Guhiasal villages still lack a road for which the villagers have resigned to their fate and continue to travel by the hills and jungles despite presence of wild animals. The villagers are still deprived of basic facilities like education and healthcare services. The same is the fate of the villagers in other Nagada hilltop villages. The state government and all the mining and industrial firms operating in the area had forgotten their responsibility towards Nagada. Although delayed, the state government is constructing a black-topped road to Nagada villages. However, the bus service is yet to resume in Nagada villages. When contacted, Jajpur district Collector Chakraborty Singh Rathore said that a blacktopped road is now being constructed for Nagada villages. The bus service will resume again to Nagada villages under Lakshmi scheme after the road works are completed, the district Collector added.
