Chitrakonda: Gurupriya bridge has proved to be a game changer for the Swabhiman Anchal under this block of Malkangiri district as it was completed four years Tuesday. The bridge has become a ray of hope for the residents of Swabhiman Anchal as it has been facilitating the implementation of various developmental projects in the area. The bridge has also helped various welfare schemes of Centre and state governments reach the residents. The bridge has also acted as a catalyst in curbing Maoist menace to a great extent.
Left-wing extremism (LWE) activities have reduced by almost 80 per cent due to the joint efforts of Odisha Police, Border Security Force (BSF), District Voluntary Force (DVF) and Special Operations Group jawans. The peaceful conduct of panchayat elections in the area this year is indicative of the peaceful atmosphere prevailing in the area which was unthinkable few years back. The bridge has also facilitated construction of roads, provision of drinking water facilities, healthcare services, allowances, pensions, housing projects and agricultural benefits for the residents and in undertaking plantation works in the area.
Swabhiman Anchal comprises of 151 villages in nine panchayats of Chitrakonda block. These villages surrounded by hills and Balimela reservoir were once cut off from the rest of world and were devoid of developmental initiatives. The villagers were living a life of seclusion and drudgery from the rest of the world due to the Balimela reservoir. However, things started changing for the better after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Gurupriya bridge July 26, 2018. He also renamed the cut-off area as ‘Swabhiman Anchal’.
Meanwhile, a lot of changes have taken place in the Swabhiman Anchal during these four years. The Swabhiman Anchal has started taking a new shape. Development that has taken place in the fields of education, healthcare services, transportation, drinking water facilities and street lightings has given a new identity to the area. Development has been made possible in the fields of livelihood, women empowerment, mobile connectivity and fish farming. New roads have come up in the area under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
People have been able to earn their livelihood through millet, suan, turmeric, kangu, Bajra, kherjana, kandul and fish farming. Landless people in the area have been provided with land pattas by the Chitrakonda tehsil. Agriculture Department, Horticulture Department, Odisha Livelihood Mission, ICDS and the local tehsil office are working in the area to help people reap the fruits of development.