A VILLAGE’S TALE WHERE DEVELOPMENT TIRES BEFORE ARRIVING

A VILLAGE’S TALE WHERE DEVELOPMENT TIRES BEFORE ARRIVING

4-JUNE-ENG 4

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA---------------------------In Bhojpur’s Shahpur assembly constituency, Dhamwal village under Bahoranpur panchayat languishes in a bygone era, where roads remain a pipe dream and patients are carried to hospitals on cots. While India boasts of “Digital India” and “Chandrayaan,” this village trudges along colonial-era paths, banking on fate.

A recent incident shook the district when villagers had to carry a sick patient on a cot to reach a hospital, with no paved or unpaved road connecting the village, just half a kilometer from the nearest road. This gap becomes a mountain when a woman faces labor pains or an elder needs urgent care.

A young villager shared, “My grandfather is 90, and he’s never seen a road here. I’m 25, and I haven’t either.” Three generations have waited for a road that never came, their frustration a sharp jab at the system.

Villagers have pleaded with the government and district administration for years, only to be met with hollow promises. Media has raised the issue repeatedly, but the administration remains in deep slumber. “Every election, leaders promise roads, but it’s the same old story,” a villager quipped, their anger palpable.

The “No Road, No Vote” slogan echoed during past protests, but even these movements fizzled out against bureaucratic hurdles like NOC requirements. Daily life is a struggle—fetching rations, going to school, or reaching a hospital is a battle. Pregnant women carried on cots are a stark indictment of development claims.

Fed up, villagers like Akshay Paswan, Dev Lok Ram, Naulak Paswan, Ratan Paswan, Sanjay Paswan, Lal Ji Ram, Chhotak Ram, Virda Paswan, Daroga Paswan, Dhanji Ram, Lalu Tiwari, Raju Tiwari, Rajnikant Tiwari, Jayprakash Tiwari, Nirmal Tiwari, Ashok Dubey, Umashankar Tiwari, Surendra Singh, Jaglal Singh, Mantu Yadav, Matur Tiwari, Vijay Shankar Tiwari, Akshay Yadav, and Sunil Yadav held a meeting, vowing to escalate their fight. They plan to confront Bhojpur DM Tanya Sultania and officials soon, signaling they won’t stay silent.

As India trumpets progress, Dhamwal’s plight raises a nagging question: Is there space for such villages in these grand claims? The image of a patient on a cot shames the system. Dhamwal waits—for a road, for fulfilled promises, for a leader who delivers more than words.