Bhograi: Ranakotha village, just 15km away from the Bhograi block headquarters in Balasore district, stands testimony to the monumental official neglect of remote villages.
Once a thriving fishing hub, the village has no basic facilities like a concrete road, electricity, school and drinking water. In other words, the village looks like an alien primitive place far from the modern society.
Surrounded by forests and hills, 95 per cent of the 360 families belong to fishing community. They eke out a living by selling fish and crabs in local weekly markets. This has been their only source of income for generations.
Developmental schemes launched by the government have hardly reached the residents. With no concrete road, the villagers have to trek forests with baskets filled with fish to sell in the markets. Situation worsens during rainy season, as the village gets flooded with water up to 4-5 feet.
They call shacks made of bamboo poles, polythene sheets and mud walls ‘houses.’ Though the residents are eligible to avail houses under Indira Awas Yojana, they cannot afford to construct them. Throughout the year, the residents survive under trees with the help of polythene sheets.
The villagers do not have proper drainage and toilet facilities. Even today, they can be seen going out with water pots to defecate in open fields.
Their sources of drinking water are ponds and pits which cause many diseases in the village. Moreover, many families are still deprived of ration cards under NFSA Act. Monthly pensions also elude the elderly and handicapped persons in the village.
“We have been running from pillar to post to draw the attention of the administration. We have approached the BDO a hundred times, but to no avail. No one pays heed to our pleas. We get only assurances,” the locals, including Dusasan Dalei, Nabakant Dalei, Kabita Dalei, Nirmal Deuri and Bibhuti Kunwar said. They urged the administration to look into their plight and help develop the village. PNN
