Talakot village of Ghatal gram panchayat in Nuapada district, located near the border of Chhattisgarh, is 40 km far from its block headquarters, Sinapali.
It is considered to be one of the leftwing extremism affected (lWE) areas of the district. As a result, the panchayat has been included in the Sunabeda Area Development Plan (SDP). But, unfortunately, the area has never received any special grant for growth.“No special fund has been ever earmarked for the panchayat under the SDP or any Central schemes,” said an official of the district administration.
Three years back, the movement of the Maoists was frequent, but after establishment of a police camp in the bordering village and due to regular search operations by the police, the Maoists influence has been rendered minimal, said a few villagers of Talakot.There is a clear anti-Maoist sentiment within the people not because they have by now understood the futility of the movement, but because they were exploited and harassed continuously by the ultras as well as the police forces.
“The police target us to get information about Maoists, while the latter suspect us as police informer. Either way we are harassed,” said a villager, who was put in jail for more than a year for his alleged involvement with the Maoists.The presence of Maoists was considered to be a reason for non-functioning of Government activities. But why there is no activity now, when the Maoists are at bay, asked Hanuram Majhi of Belpati hamlet in Talakot.
The negligence is clearly visible in every sphere, be it education, MDM, MGNREGS, IAY or road communication, he added.There are six hamlets in Talakot village located far and wide in an area of more than 10 sq km. Most of these hamlets are connected by foot paths. There are two schools in the village — one in Bordihipada near the PMGSY road and another is in Belpatipada.
When this correspondent visited the Belpati village at about 2.30 pm, the teachers had already left the school. The school in Belpati has 54 children in five classes, but there is only one room.Another building constructed up to lintel level is lying incomplete since 2002. “The work stopped after the teacher in charge of the construction was transferred,” informed a villager.“Before leaving the village the teacher had withdrawn all the funds from bank account to purchase materials for construction, but once he left the village, he never returned,”he added.
The villagers had reported about this to the BDO and the District Education Officer, but to no avail. As there is no kitchen, the Mid Day Meal (MDM) is cooked and served to the children under a tree.“We face a lot of problem when there is rain,” the cook said who had shifted half boiled food to the veranda of the school and was waiting for the rain to stop for resumption of cooking when this correspondent met him.
She informed that no utensil has been supplied for cooking of food and she used her small cooking pots for cooking rice.“I cook rice in three shifts as the pots are small,” she described her woes. She told that she and her helper had not received their monthly payments for the last six months.The problems of the villagers do not end here. The people who have worked under MGNREGS have not received their wages although six months have passed.
The tribals who have constructed houses under IAY (Indira Awas Yojana) for beneficiaries of Forest Rights Act have not received their final payments of Rs22,500 each for more than a year.“No one listens to us,” grumbled Bimle Majhi and Benudhar Hans of Belpati. They are aggrieved because, the teacher did not allow their five and a half years old son and daughter to have MDM.“The Anganwadi worker suddenly drove them away from the centre two days back stating that they are more than five years old and now the teacher does not allow them to sit in the school as they are not six years old,” they added.
The helper pleaded for the children but the teacher did not listen. For the Government officials, these might be very small problems which do not attract their attention, but for the villagers, these problems have ruined their lives.