Dasmantpur: Villagers took it upon themselves and constructed a ghat road of six-kilometer length on a hilly route after the administration failed to attend to their pleas despite repeated requests. The incident has been reported from Putamari, a remote village under Dasmantpur block in Koraput district. The villagers took the stupendous task of cutting hills to construct a road for them. People of as many as 10 villages depend on this ghat road for communication and transport. The administration had constructed a temporary road to the village 15 years ago.
With the passage of time, there was no sign of a proper road at all, making it difficult for the villagers of Putamari and nine other nearby hamlets to get out of their respective villages. The road was the only means to visit the Podagarh weekly market which is about 10 km away as well as the office of the local LAMPS, mandi or the Koraput district headquarters hospital.
Later, they had to take a 30 to 40-km-long detour and spend more from their pockets after the road went out of shape. They were facing immense difficulties while shifting serious patients and pregnant women to hospital. They had taken up the issue with the administration on several occasions but to no avail. With no option left, the villagers joined hands and rolled their sleeves up to construct a road for them. The next moment, even women were out with spades and baskets and the road was constructed.