JAGATSINGHPUR: VILLAGERS of Sankha under Padmapur panchayat of Erasama block have threatened to boycott the ensuing panchayat election if a cyclone shelter is not constructed in their village. The villagers laid siege to the block office on Wednesday over the demand.
Although Sankha village is just 1 km away from the Bay of Bengal, it is yet to get a cyclone shelter even after 18 years of the super- cyclone. This apart, the village has no drinking water facility and all-weather approach road. At least 108 people were killed in the 1999 super cyclone and since then, the villagers panic every time there is a warning for heavy rain or cyclone.
In fact, a few years back, the Indian Institute of Technology - Kharagpur had conducted a survey and informed the State Government that 122 more cyclone shelters are required in Jagatsinghpur district, including that in Sankha. However, the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) did not take any action on the survey report.
Villagers said though there are three tubewells in the village that were installed by the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation department, water in them is unfit for consumption. Women travel at least 3 km to fetch drinking water from a river. The narrow approach road to the village is in such a deplorable condition that even the water tankers cannot enter. Similarly, 102 and 108 ambulances also do not reach the village as a result of which, the residents face difficulty in shifting patients to the nearest Erasama health centre.
Condemning lack of basic amenities, over 550 villagers staged a demonstration in front of the block office. Meanwhile, BDO, Erasama, Subodha Acharya said, “Administration has failed to give assurance to carry out the development work in the village due to implementation of model code of conduct for panchayat poll.”