Baliguda: Ten years have passed since the Kandhamal riots. Many villagers damaged during the violence are yet to regain normalcy while many have left the villages and settled elsewhere. Development however is still a far cry in several riot stricken areas.
A glaring example is the plight of the tribal-dominated village of Tangam, under Bataguda panchayat in Baliguda block, Kandhamal district.
Situated just 20km away from Baliguda town, the village lacks access to essential amenities like electricity, education, potable water, and healthcare facilities. Moreover in the absence of road connectivity, the village, surrounded by hills and forest is cut-off from the rest of the world.
Home to at least 40 families with a population numbering 200, the residents here earn their livelihood from selling Sal leaves and stitching plates.
No official has ever visited the village. The 10-km road stretch from the village to the panchayat headquarters is in a bad shape. Villagers find it hard to go to the panchayat office for pension and ration. The worst sufferers are children and elderly people.
Despite repeated appeals, no step has been taken in this regard. The condition of the road got further worsened due to the recent cyclone and flood.
Last week, an auto rickshaw ferrying a pregnant woman to a hospital took more than 2 hours to cross the 10km road stretch, leading to her death.
Similarly, in the absence of drinking water facilities, the villagers are forced to consume water from a nearby nullah. Out of the two tubewells in the village, one is lying defunct while other is releasing muddy fluoride water.
Moreover, the village school, having classes from I to V, only has two rooms for 31 students. Though work toilets was started two years ago, the construction is still left halfway due to unknown reasons. Students are forced to defecate in the open. On the other hand, water from the nullah is being used for preparation of mid-day meal as the tubewell is lying defunct since long.
The village has power supply; however, it is confined to only one street.
Contacted block officials said, the road repair work has been delayed due to the cyclone. Power would be supplied to the other streets soon. The district education office has been asked to resolve the issues in the school, they said.
PNN