Mangaluru: Balpa village in Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada district has been upheld as a huge success story by the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream project, Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY). The village was brought under the scheme five years ago by MP, Nalin Kumar Kateel, who is now state BJP chief.
But a photograph of a 70- year -old man from Balpa being carried by other villagers for over a kilometre to an ambulance, that went viral on social media on Monday drew a slew of comments on how effective the project is in the village.
An ill Ramanna Poojary was carried in a chair all the way to the admbulance, as it could not reach him in the absence of a proper road. Villagers say about 15 houses in Padkillaya where Mr Poojary lives, do not have proper access by road and complain that except for a small stretch of a newly laid road, a branch of a co- operative society and a branch of a nationalised bank nothing notable has happened in Balpa in the last five years.
"We don't demand a concrete road, but give us at least a proper road. Politicians claim this is a model village. Some work has been done. But several houses here still do not have electricity," said a villager.
Congress leaders, who have for years alleged that Balpa is not the success story it is made out to be, claimed the photograph proved what they have been saying all along.
"We have been saying that Adarsh Gram Yojana is just on paper. A small stretch of road has been built and that is it," said Sullia block Congress president, Jayaprakash Rai.
BJP leaders hit back, claiming, "The houses are spread out in the district and so it is hard to provide them all proper road access. Even in Mangaluru city there are houses that four -wheelers cannot reach," BJP spokesperson, Harikrishna Bantwal said.
