Lack of roads connectivity in mountain villages, a bane for ill, old and infirm
Lack of roads connectivity in mountain villages, a bane for ill, old and infirm
Prem Prakash Upadhyay “Natural”
Bageshwar, Sept 27
In a display of determination, villagers in Bageshwar district carried a 58-year-old ailing woman for 12 kilometres on their shoulders to reach the nearest motorable road.
The woman, Sundari Devi, wife of Prahlad Singh Dariyal, had been ill for several days and had grown too weak to walk. The only road connecting the village has been blocked since early July due to a landslide, and despite repeated appeals, the administration did not do anything.
With no ambulance or helicopter service available, the villagers improvised by tying two pipes together with cloth to make a stretcher-like support. They then carried Sundari Devi through steep, treacherous terrain to the nearest road, from where a vehicle finally transported her to the Munsiyari Community Health Centre, about 19 km away.
Residents of villagers expressed strong resentment against the administration, citing the lack of medical facilities in the area and the government’s failure to repair the road even after three months. Similar situation prevails in the hilly inaccessible villages of Bageshwar , Pithoragarh and Champawat, Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts. Although a helicopter service was started for emergencies but it was withdrawn after a few days, leaving the remote village isolated during critical situations.
Officials have yet to comment on when the damaged road will be repaired or whether emergency air services will be restored. Meanwhile, villagers warn that such neglect could lead to further tragedies if urgent action is not taken.
There are a number of stories of patients including senior citizens, children suffering due to lack of connectivity. A woman with Pneumonia Carried on a Palanquin for 3 km Due to Lack of Road in Bageshwar.
Even after 79 years of Independence, villagers in Kaflani of Bareth Gram Sabha, Kapkot block, are still deprived of a basic road facility. The painful reality came to light when a 60-year-old woman suffering from pneumonia had to be carried on a palanquin for three kilometers to reach the nearest motorable point.
The patient, identified as Heera Devi, wife of Gopal Nath, was suffering from high fever. Villagers carried her on a palanquin to Basse, from where she was transported by vehicle to the Community Health Center (CHC), Kapkot.
Villagers expressed strong resentment towards the government, pointing out that despite assurances made two years ago, the promised road has not been constructed. Local resident Prem Danu said, “This is a betrayal of the villagers. Even today, patients, elderly people, and pregnant women are forced to risk their lives due to the lack of road connectivity.”
The villagers have warned of protests if road construction is not started soon.
