Kalahandi : In an effort to improve connectivity to remote areas like Silet Panchayat under Thuamul Rampur block in Kalahandi district, the government had included the region under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
The construction of a road from Melaghara village in Dhan Majhi’s native Nakrundi Panchayat to Silet has been underway since 2022. This is the same Dhan Majhi who once had to carry his wife’s body on his shoulders and walk 12 kilometers due to a lack of transportation. That incident had revealed the grim reality of the area.
Five years after that heart-wrenching incident, a road construction project was initiated to make the region more accessible. The foundation stone for the project was laid by MLA Pradeep Kumar Dishari. While the road was expected to be completed by 2024, it still remains unfinished. Due to a lack of funds in the project for building a bridge over the Dudungpata Drain, which lies along the route, the construction has been stalled midway.
As a result, villagers from remote settlements like Rupen Dandapadar, Silet, Saramandi, Bordijhola, Jhanji, Durbelaguda, Kandulguda, Bilamal, Kutakhal, Pajikhal, and Malatipadar in this panchayat continue to face severe hardships.
Due to this situation, ambulance services cannot reach many villages, and other essential emergency services are also inaccessible. The lack of proper road connectivity has severely impacted access to education, healthcare, and other basic amenities. Residents of Silet Panchayat have demanded that a bridge be constructed over the Dudungpata Drain to address this critical issue.