Grim Reality Of Poverty: Couple Lives Under Flyover For Three Years In Odisha’s Keonjhar
The couple struggles daily for survival and remains exposed to harsh weather conditions, including intense summer heat and heavy rains, beneath the temporary shelter: Residents
KEONJHAR (Odisha): A heart-rending picture of poverty and displacement has emerged from the mining belt of Odisha’s Keonjhar district, where a couple has reportedly been living under a flyover for the past three years without access to basic amenities or government welfare support.
The incident has been reported from the Baneikala area along National Highway-520, where Muna Munda and his wife Jamuna Munda have been surviving beneath an overbridge using a tarpaulin sheet as makeshift shelter.
According to local reports, Muna began working at a hotel after the death of his father. Later, while employed at a crusher unit in Chandikhol, he met Jamuna and the two eventually got married. Following their marriage, the couple continued working and managed to sustain themselves by living in a small roadside hut they had constructed.
However, their lives took a tragic turn when the hut was demolished during a road expansion project. With no rehabilitation support or alternative arrangement allegedly provided, the couple has since been forced to live under the flyover in extremely difficult conditions.
Residents said the couple struggles daily for survival and remains exposed to harsh weather conditions, including intense summer heat and heavy rains, beneath the temporary shelter.
Reports further indicated that Muna and Jamuna have been deprived of several government welfare schemes as they do not possess Aadhaar cards, making it difficult for them to access benefits, housing assistance and rehabilitation programmes.
Responding to the matter, Joda Municipality Executive Officer Setwapadma Dhal said the couple would be provided housing after completion of the Affordable Housing Project (AHP) and Affordable Rental Housing Scheme (ARS) projects.
The incident has once again drawn attention to the plight of economically vulnerable families displaced during infrastructure expansion projects, raising concerns over rehabilitation measures and access to social welfare benefits for marginalised communities.
