Kandhamal, Odisha: Modern transport system and basic infrastructures like all-weather roads and bridges still elude people in several villages in Odisha’s Kandhamal district. People in several parts of the district, mostly living in hilly tracts, are still dependent on dangerous self-made rope and cable bridges to cross rivers and rivulets to reach district headquarters town, hospitals and markets.
Like previous years, this rainy season also marked students and commoners crossing the gushing rivers and streams with a lot of risk.
Although the state government had in 2011 launched Biju Setu Yojana, a special drive to undertake construction of bridges across the state to bridge the missing links on road of rural development department by 2015, — the mission still remains unaccomplished.
Of the 863 bridges scheduled to be constructed during the period from 2010-11 to 2015-16, only 402 have been completed. Almost half of over two dozens of buildings under constructions in Kandhamal district are reportedly awaiting completion.
“Due to lack bridges and all-weather roads, many students are not attending their classes in the rainy season. Besides, a large section of people, mostly the Kandh tribals living in the cut-off forest areas, fail to have access to gram panchayat, block and tehsil offices and district headquarters. As a result, most of their grievances remain unaddressed,” said Ashok Kumar Mohanty, a social activist.
