Everyday walk along a precarious path carved by side of a cliff by villagers in Burangia under Kirikuti panchayat under Baliguda sub-division in Kandhamal district has not attracted the attention of the authorities.
Children travel to school with great difficulty. Parents have to accompany them everyday two hours before the start of the school. Mothers are worried as they have housework to do. When not accompanied, children are reluctant to attend school. “We are facing a lot of problems because there is no bridge. We find it very difficult even going to the hospital. During my delivery time, the Janani Express (ambulance) came once. But the driver refused to cross the river. He said it is impossible to come to your village without road,” Sunanda Nayak, a villager, said.
The sorrowful situation in a few regions can be gauged from the fact that people bring patients to hospital by boat in Burangia village because there is no road. In rainy season, they can’t cross the river due to overflowing water and patients are left to fend for themselves. Kirikuti panchayat sarpanch Balakrushna Mallick alleged, “The BJD Government is not spending funds for development of Kandhamal. In remote pockets of the district, people are still using stream and river water for drinking proposes. Education, roads, healthcare, and electricity are still a far cry.”
The narrative might sound incredible to some, but it isn’t uncommon for children from less privileged regions facing immense hardship while commuting to their school. Anybody will be surprised at the great lengths some children are willing to go to reach school.