By Afreen Firdaus

Begunia: Frustrated by repeated appeals to elected representatives and the administration, residents of Kuradhilo village in Khordha district have pooled their money and volunteered their labour to repair a badly damaged road that had made daily commuting difficult.

Located in Pangarasingh gram panchayat, the village had been grappling with a dilapidated road where rainwater accumulated, creating unhygienic conditions and making movement hazardous. Schoolchildren travelling to nearby Pangarasingh school were particularly affected, with some reportedly sustaining injuries after falling on the damaged stretch.

Villagers said they had repeatedly approached the sarpanch, block administration and local MLA, seeking repairs. However, their appeals allegedly failed to yield results, forcing them to undertake the work themselves.

Men, women, youngsters, children and elderly residents joined hands for the initiative, contributing money and labour to improve the road. Their collective effort has brought temporary relief while raising questions about the administration’s response to basic rural infrastructure needs.

“This is the main road of our village. Water accumulates here up to knee level. Nobody listened despite our repeated complaints, so we collected contributions from villagers and started repairing it ourselves,” said Bipin Dalei, a resident involved in the initiative.

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Another resident, Sukalyani Mahabhoi, said the road was particularly important for children attending the nearby school.

“Small children use this road to go to school. We approached everyone, from the sarpanch to the MLA. The MLA had assured us that the problem would be resolved, but the promise was not fulfilled. We were left with no option but to spend our own money on the repairs,” she said.

Resident Narendra Sundaray said villagers were tired of running from one authority to another without seeing any action.

“We have repeatedly approached the sarpanch and MLA, but received only assurances. Waterlogging continues to disrupt movement, so we decided to repair the road ourselves,” he said.

Begunia Block Development Officer Santosh Kumar Jena said, “I have been informed about the road problem. I will personally visit the site, assess the situation and take necessary steps.”

Villagers are now awaiting administrative intervention for a permanent solution.