Bhadrak: In Badheigadia village, pregnant women live in constant fear. The reason: no ambulance can reach here in case of an emergency as there is not a single motorable road leading to the village.
The contrast between the condition of roads in urban and rural areas could not be sharper, as Badheigadia is located just 10 km away from the district headquarters of Bhadrak, which itself straddles the NH-5.
Such is the fear that has pervaded villagers here that women have begun to leave for their parents’ homes soon after getting to know that they are pregnant, in order
to avoid any medical emergency.
“Our main problem is lack of a proper road. Our situation is akin to leading a life of exile as people suffer a lot in case of medical emergencies as it is quite difficult to be shifted to hospital,” say villagers.
There is a road in the village, but it is too narrow to allow 102 and 108 ambulances to enter.
“Whenever a woman becomes pregnant, her family gets worried. To avoid the difficulties in transportation, the family sends her away to her parental home so that she can be taken care of and be shifted to hospital in time,” says Mahendra Jena, a villager.
“The village is so close to the district headquarters, but the administration has paid no heed to basic problems. We have drawn the attention of the administration several times in the past, but nothing has happened. This time, we have decided to boycott panchayat elections. Many children are being of education in the absence of a school and an Anganwadi centre here,” Jena added.
Children have to walk a distance of three km to study at primary and high schools, villagers said, adding it is difficult to venture out of the village on this route even after a brief shower.
During the monsoon, elderly persons cannot come out to get their pension.
Villagers pointed to a recent incident, where a patient had died as the ambulance could not enter the village.
Years ago, villagers used to commute on a rut track amid farmland. With united efforts, they made the rut track wide by laying murram and earth on it.
Lamenting on the problems of the village, Rabindra Mallick, another resident, said, “In the absence of a road, we even can’t build our houses, since transporting raw material into the village is a difficult proposition. During marriage, occasions, wedding parties have no way but to walk to the village. PNN