Kotpad ,6th Sept 2025: Due to the poor condition of a ghati (hilly) road, the residents of Phulbhatta Bhata Panchayat have long been deprived of bus services. Starting from the panchayat headquarters village Phulbhatta, the road passes through a jungle area and includes a winding ghat section about 500 meters long on both sides. The road is steep, zigzag, and in very poor condition, while almost all villages in the panchayat lie beyond this ghat stretch.
This panchayat, located in a backward, remote, and tribal-dominated region of the block, has suffered from isolation due to lack of transportation. There is a bus stop just 500 meters away, and if the ghat road is bypassed, a motorable road is available. In 2018, under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), a road measuring 6.400 km was constructed at a cost of ₹3.65 crores. However, at that time, both engineers and contractors were repeatedly requested by the locals to cut through the ghat, which was never done.
People had warned that without cutting through the ghat, the road would be of no real use, yet no one paid attention. The ghat road was poorly constructed and left as it was. Other parts of the road remain usable, but the ghat section has deteriorated severely — the asphalt has peeled off, and in many places, the road is eroded.
This year, during the monsoon, water has flowed over the middle of the road, turning it into a natural drain from top to bottom on both sides. Jungle creepers have overgrown the ghat section, and the metal from the original road structure is now exposed. As a result, residents suffer daily while trying to commute.
People were initially hopeful about getting bus service in this difficult terrain, but upon learning that buses cannot travel beyond the ghat, their hopes were dashed. Many residents have expressed deep sadness in written complaints. Multiple grievances have been submitted during Gram Sabhas, Panchayat meetings, and district-level public hearings, yet no action has been taken.
This ghat has become a major source of misery for the panchayat residents. Hence, they earnestly request the administration to cut through the ghat and build a proper paved road. Prominent locals such as Ghasiram Jani, Shukla Kraiska, Gupt Santa, Kumuti Santa, Guru Nath Santa, Saheb Santa, Gurubandhu Jani, Chaitana Chitan Santa, and Santa Suba Santa have all raised this demand.
When questioned about this matter, Rural Development Department engineer Indra Baske stated that the process of transferring this road to the earlier department (PWD or similar) is underway. Several such roads in the block have already been transferred, and this one is among them. Once approved at the state level, and the road is officially handed over to the earlier department, cutting through the ghat and constructing a high-quality road may finally become possible.