Alangkera (Jharkhand): Angry over the terrible condition of the connecting road, in this village of north Palkot in Gumla district of the state, a section of villagers is planning to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.They say, if their demand of road construction is not met, they will not vote this time in protest. “Road nahi to vote nahi – no road, no vote,” angry villagers said. However, not everyone in the village shares the opinion despite emphasising that the bad condition of the road is the biggest problem facing them. Some maintained that whatever is decided by the villagers as a whole, they will abide by it.The village comes under the gram panchayat adopted by Rajya Sabha MP and former minister M.J. Akbar under Modi’s ambitious Saansad Adarsh Gram Gram Yojana in 2015. According to a Times of India report, Akbar visited the area that year. Notably, the native village of the PM’s private secretary, Rajeev Topno also comes under this gram panchayat. Villagers claimed not much has changed since the adoption. In fact, the condition of the road has gone from bad to worse.“Some work has been done after the village was adopted by M.J. Akbar, but all of it is unfinished,” Mohan Singh, a retired school teacher from the village, told The Wire. “The boundary wall and some school buildings were constructed but the standard of education has hardly improved.”School boundary constructed utilising M.J. Akbar’s MP fund. Credit: Mahtab AlamAccording to Mohan, there are other issues such as scarcity of water – both drinking as well as for irrigation – and lack of medical facilities. “But the biggest problem is of road,” Mohan said, adding: “That’s why we are planning to boycott polls this time.” Pointing at the non-functional water tank constructed utilising Akbar’s MP fund, he asked, “What the use of this?”Also read | Jharkhand’s Hoarding Game: Local Issues Missing From Congress Poll NarrativeThe village is scheduled to vote on May 6 as it comes under the Khunti Lok Sabha constituency. Earlier this month, the villagers constructed a barrier with a notice banning the entry of politicians. “We have time and again raised the issue of bad roads with local authorities but nothing has been done so far,” said Suresh Singh, a farmer in the village. “Irrigation water is another problem here,” he added.Barrier with sign of no entry for politicians. Credit: Special arrangementOthers also complained about a lack of medical facilities and doctors being irregular. They said the local health centre is hardly functional. Apart from local authorities, they claim to have apprised their legislators but nothing has happened despite assurances.The block development officer (BDO) of Palkot, Shankar Ekka could not be reached for his reaction. However, according to a news report published in the local edition of Dainik Jagran in the wake of the protest, road construction is being delayed because they have not received a no objection certificate (NOC) from the forest department.According to Ekka, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the construction of the 36-kilometre road – from Palkot to Nagfeni via Alangkera – has already been sent to the concerned authorities, and it will be constructed on a priority basis as soon as it is approved. When asked about the vote boycott and ban on entry of politicians, the BDO told Dainik Jagran that it has been sorted out.Notably, The Wire visited the village two weeks after the publication of the news in the Hindi daily.A list of villages adopted by MPs in Jharkhand.Meanwhile, villagers claimed, due to the terrible condition of the road, they are facing several problems. “We are facing difficulties in finding brides for our sons because people are not willing to get their daughters married in the village which has such a bad road,” Anil Oraon told The Wire. According to Oraon, families of prospective brides fear that if some medical emergency occurs in the village, it will become difficult to reach a hospital in time.Also read | In Jharkhand’s Khunti, Aftermath of Pathalgadi Movement Likely to Be a Poll IssueTough the nearest hospital is just seven kilometres away, it can take almost an hour to reach there – epically during the night. He said, “I will vote even if the road is not constructed before the election as it is my fundamental right.”Adivasi Tola in Alangkera. Credit: Mahtab AlamHowever, another villager said he will go with the consensus on the matter. “If everyone in the village will not be voting, I will also not vote,” said Anup Oraon of Adivasi tola of the village. Ram Pravesh Singh, an elected member of local panchayat agreed that the lack of a proper road is the biggest problem for the villagers apart from unemployment and scarcity of water.According to him, the problem of unemployment is also linked to the condition of the road. “Due to the bad condition of the road, there is no transport connecting the market, hence locals are not able to go for work and sell their stuff,” Ram Pravesh. When asked what he is going to do in the election, he said, “I am waiting for gram sabha’s decision. Whatever is decided by it, will abide.”
