Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, June 01: The residents of Ward No. 02 that comes under Gram Panchayat Radhanagar of Diglipur Sub-Division have been facing unspeakable inconveniences due to absence of a road since their settlement in the village during the year 1969.
According to report, seven families were settled under a colonization scheme in 1969 by the Govt. of India in a tiny village called ‘Saat Family’, Ward No. 02 which comes under Gram Panchayat Radhanagar, Tehsil Diglipur.
The hamlet nestles in the lap of the surrounding hills and forests in the region and due to this geographical reason, the village is totally segregated/cut off from the mainstream of development and the denizens are still leading a hardscrabble life due to non-availability of roads, schools, bridge, health service centres, transport facilities, telephone/mobile network, veterinary centres etc., revealed Mr. Jatin Biswas, Ward Member of this village.
However, chiefly, the transportation system in the village is crippled due to absence of a puckka road since 1969, and the inhabitants of this remote area have to walk about 3 kms on the bumpy & muddy track through the natural forest and then wading through marshy/wet land to first reach Radhanagar Panchayat and then to Diglipur Bazaar for availing their daily requirements and other basic facilities, the Ward Member said.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha Daily, a dozen of residents of the village said, “Our village is totally cut off from the rest of the country and we are still leading a hardscrabble life due to non-availability of roads, schools, bridge, health service centres, transport facilities, telephone/mobile network, veterinary centres etc.; we pleaded with the local leaders and the local administration, but our pleas fell into their deaf ears so far. They continued to give hollow promises and made fun of our social deprivation and misery. We are the descendants (3rd & 4th generation) while the leaders of political parties and the administration have been paying mere lip service to our grievances”, the residents alleged.
“We reside in a segregated and fur flung area encircled with jungles, our to and fro travel is challenged by a number of constraints thrown by the typical journey system. We have to walk about 3 to 4 kms on the bumpy & muddy track through the jungles & hills and then wading through mangrove to first reach Radhanagar Panchayat. But the movement becomes highly dangerous and risky for the children, elderly, CWSN (Divyang), sick and most importantly the pregnant women of our village are the most vulnerable”, bemoaned the aggrieved villagers.
In emergencies like venomous snake bite, severe health complaints, etc requiring immediate medical care, victims are carried in stretcher (made with cloth & bamboo), they said. However, instances are there that, in the event of non-availability of four persons for carrying the victim in stretcher at night, many of their near and dear lost their lives in such cases, they rued. Besides, there are threats of elephant attack on the way through the forests. Nonetheless, they have to make the journey to meet their necessity, as they are left with no other choice, they said.
Another eye-opening fact which surfaced during their talk is that, their farming and transportation of farm produce were being adversely affected. In fact, owing to non-existence of road in the village, the indigent denizens have to practice age-old carrying-on-head method and transport their farm produce like pulses, rice, paddy, vegetable etc for their sale at Diglipur Bazaar and similarly, after sale of their farm produce at market when they return with their essential commodities from Diglipur Bazaar, they have to adopt the same head-load method and reach their destination which is far away and paths are thorny and convoluted; and this is the prime reason the villagers have ceased to produce crops for marketing and this in turn has further pushed them to poor economic condition, they revealed.
“At times we think that our ancestors committed a blunder of taking the rehabilitation in this remote and inaccessible region” lamented the residents. They then further said, “We heard tell of India which is incredible but our wretched eyes aren’t blessed with the sight to see this incredible India. Hence, it is our prayer to you (administration) with folded hands that initiatives are taken so that we may get road, water & light.” And if the Administration can’t fulfill their basic requirement i.e a road, they may be shifted from this place to another place with basic facilities required for human habitation, they pleaded with Govt. of India.
Expressing their desperate need for a road, they further said that, if the administration doesn’t fulfill either option i.e. their resettlement or construction of a road in the village within a period of 2 months, they shall reportedly resort to take the law into their hands, though it may sound wrong or unlawful; and in that event, they will construct the road by themselves exerting their force come what may, and it is their final decision, they threatened.
However, the denizens of ‘Saat family’ are still hopeful that the administration will hear their prayer and they would be blessed with a road in their backcountry and for which they have recently written to the Prime Minister of India, they said.
