Tentulikhunti, 16th Sept 2025: During the last Panchayat elections, the villagers of Lodipadar and Baradayojodi under Tentulikhunti block, Nabarangpur district, had boycotted voting demanding the construction of a proper road. However, even after all this time, no permanent road has been constructed to these villages.
In a recent incident on Friday, a senior district-level official was forced to walk on foot to perform his official duty due to the non-motorable, difficult terrain — a matter considered deeply shameful for the district administration. The District Education Officer (DEO) was en route to visit a school and initially tried to reach by motorcycle, but due to the poor road conditions, he had to abandon the bike and continue on foot to reach the Lodipadar Primary School.
Earlier, the villages of Baradayojodi, Madhugulumi, Merakani, and Bijapadar, under Tentulikhunti Gram Panchayat, had their own primary schools. However, around five years ago, those schools were shut down by the Education Department, which has led to young children being deprived of basic education.
Due to the long distances to the nearest schools, and unsafe routes involving steep hills, forests, muddy tracks, streams, and nullahs, many students have dropped out midway. This situation poses a serious risk to their safety and right to education.
Considering the extreme difficulties of this remote area, there is a growing demand from local residents to reopen the closed Baradayojodi school and to establish a hostel facility there. They believe that such steps would definitely encourage the dropout students to return to school.
The villagers have appealed to the local MLA and MP to take urgent action and address this pressing issue.