Villagers In Odisha Risk Lives Daily To Cross Flooded River With Ropes
Residents of Bankijhola village under Chandiput panchayat, along with those from Chadiapada and Jakarapali, have no option but to cling to ropes strung across the river during the monsoon season.
Bhubaneswar: In a stark reminder of the infrastructure gaps plaguing India’s remote regions, villagers in Odisha’s Gajapati district are risking their lives every day by crossing a flooded river with the help of ropes, in the absence of an all-weather road or bridge.
Residents of Bankijhola village under Chandiput panchayat, along with those from Chadiapada and Jakarapali, have no option but to cling to ropes strung across the river during the monsoon season. The dangerous crossing is their only route to schools, colleges, health centres, markets, and government offices.
For children, elderly people, and women, the journey is particularly hazardous. Each spell of heavy rain swells the river, turning the daily commute into a life-threatening ordeal.
Responding to the crisis, Gajapati Collector Madhumita said, “I have already instructed the rural development department to conduct an assessment for alternative arrangements, such as a new bridge, in case there is no bridge. The RD department will accordingly send an estimate. Similarly, the local Block Development Officer (BDO) has also been instructed.”
Officials have confirmed that a detailed report has been sought, and action will follow once the rural development department completes its review.
The plight of Gajapati villagers echoes a larger pattern in rural Odisha, where lack of infrastructure continues to force people into dangerous choices. Just last month, on July 27, an Anganwadi worker in Keonjhar district, Karisma Nayak, made headlines after she braved a swollen river to reach her centre in Haladihi village under Kadakala panchayat, underlining the lengths to which rural frontline workers go to discharge their duties.
“For Gajapati’s villagers, however, such peril is not exceptional—it is part of their everyday struggle. We appeal to the authorities to addressing such pressing needs,” said Ganesh Raju, a local development activist.
