Tired Of Waiting For Administratives, These Tribal Villagers Build A Road For Themselves

While the story of the 'Mountain Man' Dashrath Manjhi continues to live through the hills and history of India, many villages still live within the grim reality of having no roads or connectivity. In a similar way to how Manjhi carved the 110m long path with the simplest tools within 22 years, a group of people from a tribal village in Orissa have taken it upon themselves to build a basic road for their purposes. Clearing out the shrubs and cutting a path through the hill, the villagers constructed a six km long kuchha road that connects them from Ghantraguda with Puki Chhack in the district.

Awaiting Change

Ghantraguda, located about 35 km from Koraput town, and the diversions it came along with due to the lack of a proper road facility, had villagers travelling over 50 km to reach their destinations. Every time they have to travel for their work or other purposes, they are forced to take long detours and walk for hours.

A report by the New Indian Express quoted a villager saying, "In the absence of direct roads, we face many difficulties in reaching Koraput town, especially in the nights and more so during the rainy season. Shifting patients to the hospital at Koraput becomes a nightmare, and only God knows how we manage it."

According to the block development officer of Dasmantpur, Damburudhar Mallick, the village is a part of the rural connectivity programme, and a pucca road was to be constructed in the tribal village soon. Waiting for the authorities to bring about a change in their situation did not do much. They appealed to the authorities for the road multiple times and finally decided to take things into their own hands.

With Sickles And Spades

The administration constructed a metal road about 15 years back in the village, but now there remains no sign of it due to lack of maintenance. Lochan Bisoi, a resident, said that after a number of appeals to the officials, "we decided to construct the road on our own." All the men and women of the village came together to cut through the hill and construct a rough six-kilometre-long kuchha road that would connect them to the Puki Chhack region in the district. They were able to do this with the simplest of tools available to them, including hoes, sickles, machetes, and spades.

The way that has been carved out now would reduce the distance effectively by a good 20 kilometres and benefit around 4000 residents of at least nine villages apart from Ghantraguda.

Also Read: 'Mountain Man Of India': Lesser Known Facts About Manjhi Who Carved History With Hammers & Chisels