Koraput: Residents of five villages staged a protest near the Bharatmala project camp in Koraput, demanding urgent repair of the severely damaged road from Machara Square to Odapur village. The agitation drew significant public attention as villagers refused to disperse without a firm response from authorities.
The road has remained in a neglected state for years, causing hardships for patients during medical emergencies, transportation of agricultural produce, and schoolchildren. The agitators raised three key demands: repair of the Machara–Odapur road, construction of the long-pending Pusing Bridge, and development of a link road connecting their cluster of villages.
Villagers expressed deep frustration over continued administrative apathy towards bad and damaged roads. “We have been requesting repair of the roads for years, but to no avail,” said protester Suresh Mandal, a resident of Machara. “During monsoon, the road turns into a mud trench. Patients are carried on shoulders, children miss school, and vehicles get stuck every other day.”
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Echoing similar concerns, another villager, Sabitri Jani, said, “We are not demanding anything extraordinary. A proper road and a bridge are our basic rights. Development projects pass through our area, yet our villages remain ignored.”
The protest drew support from several local leaders too. Koraput District Congress president Rupak Turuk, former MLA Nimai Sarkar, and tribal leader Padmanabh Jani reached the spot and assured villagers of raising the issue with the district administration. Turuk criticised the delay in addressing essential infrastructure needs. “These demands are legitimate and long overdue. The administration must act without further delay to ease the suffering of these communities,” he stated.
