Pottangi: Their homes might be in Orissa, but their hearths are in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh.
For people of Nimalpadu (a nondescript hamlet located near the Orissa-Andhra border in Koraput district), matters of livelihood are far more pressing than the necessity of upholding their roots. Most of the residents here are completely dependent on the neighbouring state for all their needs – education, health, communication, and finding employment.
As a result, the younger generations are fluent in Telugu, but speak only a smattering of their mother tongue. This estrangement from Oriya is exacerbated by the fact that most children are enrolled in Telugu-medium schools. This again is more out of compulsion than choice, as the local government school back home is rarely open, according to villagers.
The hamlet itself is cut-off from the rest of the state. Villagers have to cross the Khal river to get to the block headquarters of Pottangi. Instead, they find it convenient to trek down to Salur in the adjoining state to buy groceries and the like.
“In order to reach Pottangi, we have to walk for four kilometers and then wade through the Khal river as there’s no bridge. Crossing it on foot isn’t always safe, so we prefer to go the Salur market instead for our daily needs,” said a villager.
Pottangi BDO Saroj Kumar Biswal visited the village Saturday to speak to locals about their difficulties. Like the others, Biswal too waded across the river and back – a mission that previous administrators were reluctant to undertake.
The village is home to 45 families. Of them, only 14 families have been able to derive benefits of housing schemes such as Indira Awas Yojana and Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana between 2008 and 2016. Twenty-one residents of the village avail old-age pension and widow allowance.
A village road was laid under the MGNREGS scheme26. However, villagers said what they need the most is a bridge across the Khal.
Citing an example of their plight the villagers told the BDO how two persons were swept away in the river in July while they were returning from Pottangi with ration. The two villagers were found by others after a long search and were eventually rescued.
Residents allege the lone government school in the village is always found locked. Local children have no inkling of what an Anganwadi centre is. A school teacher turns up at the village to hand over a kilogram of rice and eggs to each family once a month, they said.
The village is yet to get electricity connectivity; only a handful of utility poles have been laid. Villagers who were engaged in installing these poles are yet to get their wages, it is learnt.
The villagers said they are hopeful of quick action by the district administration to look into these issues and sort out their problems.
“The village of Nimalpadu in Koraput district is cut-off from the rest of the state geographically as well as in spirit,” said an officer of the district administration requesting anonymity. “It is high time that the government took steps in earnest to improve the plight of the villagers there. It is the least we can do for them,” the official added. PNN
