Keonjhar: Rural development has always been a priority of any government. However, several pockets in mineral-rich Keonjhar reel under backwardness with most of its people going through deprivation.
The sorry state of tribal-dominated Maragola village under Harinchandanpur block is a case in point. All government plans and programmes seem to have been ineffective for tribal residents inhabiting here.
According to locals, their village has been neglected on all fronts—communication, drinking water, lighting, education and healthcare.
The major problem for local residents is absence of a road to the village locked from all sides by hills. “We have no road for the village. To venture out of the village, we have to walk on a rocky track of three km up to Pithagola and from there we have to trek another eight km up hilly terrains before coming to Harichandanpur CHC. In emergency cases, patients have no way but to suffer in silence,” locals added. They added that there were instances of patients dying on the way to the CHC.
Let alone ambulance services, people here have not even seen a bicycle here, lamented Juanga tribals. All tribals lead a miserable life due to lack of earning opportunities while MGNREGS has been a dream for them. In rainy season, tribals clear the forest land and cultivate Guluchi, raise oat, horse gram, black gram and other crops.
Another problem is that these poor tribals have to drink water from streams and pits as no safe drinking water facility has been put in place.
An ASHA worker said that a few days ago, many people were affected by malaria.
Locals demanded that the administration take steps for development of their village. PNN
