Umerkote: Adopting an unusual method to press for their demands, residents of Chalanguda village under this block in Nabarangpur Friday planted paddy saplings on the road to protest administrative apathy.
“We decided to plant saplings on the main road connecting Chalanguda and Bijiguda of Sunabeda panchayat as it was not possible for us to use the stretch anymore,” the villagers said.
According to reports, people of Majhiguda, Anchala, Chalanguda and Seunaguda use this road to reach the local community health centre, several educational institutes and commercial establishments of this block. However, a stretch of about a kilometer is in a miserable state and people have to wade through in knee deep mud to reach the other end of the road. Alternatively, they have to cover seven kms more to reach the main road, villager said.
Though the matter was brought to the notice of the administration and local people’s representative on several occasions, they didn’t bother to put a basket of murram to improve the condition, Raidas Panka, Jagabandhu Gond and Budhan Harijan of the village alleged. Left with no option, the villagers decided to plant paddy saplings to draw the attention of the concerned authorities towards the issue, they added.
The protesters warned to block the nearest highway if the administration failed to take the initiative soon. PNN