Inhabitants of Bastar’s remotest area Abujhmad are still living in pre-historic era, thanks to apathetic attitude of the administration. Abujhmad does not have a proper road nor the administration is concerned about providing even basic facilities to the people of this area.
The single skeletal road is in such a dilapidated condition that for the last five years not a single bus reached Orchha, the tehsil headquarters delinking the entire Abujhmad area from the district headquarters at Narayanpur.
Notably, due to the bad condition of Orchha road, passenger buses, the only mode of transportation in the Red Terror Zone, could not reach Orchha leading to great inconvenience to villagers who have been virtually cut from the district headquarters as also from the rest of the State. And this situation is not created by insurgency but due to the big potholes and craters on this stretch which make it unmotorable.
Heavy damage to vehicles due to jerks forced bus operators to limit their journey till Dhanora village only where villagers are forced to reach after traversing 20 km to catch the bus to reach district headquarters. Public representatives have repeatedly informed the matter to the district administration but no action has been taken yet raising the question on its sensitivity.
According to sources, lakhs of rupees are spent annually on repair of roads by Public Works Department but this road is yet to see any repair during last several years. From district headquarters Narayanpur to Palli stretch of road has been given to Hyderabad-based company KMC, but in the last eight months it failed to construct even 8 km road.
Since, bus service is the lone mode of transportation in this remote area which too has been snapped by poor condition of road, people are facing problem not only in availing healthcare and day-to-day necessities but even the Public Distribution System is also in peril. On the other hand, bus operators say that presence of 5-6 feet deep potholes and craters on the road have forced them to withdraw their services as the vehicles suffer unbearable losses due to jerks forcing them to cut short journey till Dhanora village, 20 km from Orchha, as until the repairing resuming bus services up to Orchha was impossible.