Bhubaneswar: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked Koraput collector to take necessary action and execute road projects connecting 191 villages in the district. The commission gave the order on Friday after hearing a petition filed by human rights activist and lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy. In his petition, he alleged that ambulances could not enter several villages in the tribal-dominated district due to lack of all-weather roads.
Tripathy mentioned a case involving pregnant Pushpanjali Khora, 35, of Haldisil village under Dusarsuni panchayat in Koraput district. She was shifted to Dasmantpur community health centre on a stretcher because an ambulance could not reach her due to the poor condition of the road in August last year. The petitioner alleged that 35 such cases were reported since 2016. He requested the intervention of the commission so that all-weather road connectivity could be provided to the tribal villages in the district. Accordingly, the commission directed the state govt to submit a report on the issue and on Feb 6, the Koraput collector submitted a report, stating that an earthen road from Ankarguda to Haldisil was constructed. The panchayati raj department secretary also submitted a report regarding the matter. Furthermore, the collector submitted a block-wise report on the status of all-weather road connectivity to the unconnected villages.
The report suggested that there are still 191 unconnected villages with populations of more than 100 in the district and the district administration is taking concrete steps to complete those road connectivity projects under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
“Upon perusal of reports, it is clear that the Odisha govt has been taking steps towards creating rural infrastructure, but the report of the collector is worrisome. There are still 191 unconnected village habitations with populations of more than 100 in the district and the district administration is yet to connect them. Let direction be issued to the Koraput collector to expedite and take all concrete steps to complete those road connectivity projects and submit an additional report within 12 weeks,” read the NHRC order.