**Nuapada:** When the country is gearing up itself for a cashless society and transforming itself to a digital mode after the 69 years of Independence from the British India, tribal-dominated Nuapada district in western Odisha has villages still deprived of the basic amenities.
A glaring case in point is Samadpadar village under Khariar block (Khariar also the sub-divisional headquarters).
The remote village inhabited by about 83 households, the rural folk are mostly tribals and of Below Poverty Line (BPl) category.
Around 19 kms away from Khariar, it is located on a hilly terrain. While 14 kms of road communication is available from the sub-divisional-cum-block headquarters, the 5 km-stretch to the village is hostile and impassable following which the villagers have to encounter untold miseries daily.
“No health facilities here for which we have to depend on other village PHC and due to the miserable road communication, children have died. Anganwadi here is of no use let alone other basic amenities,” complained a village woman.
Samadpadar village of Nuapada reminds of mineral-rich Jajpur’s Nagada being cut off from road communication, health facilities, electricity and other basic amenities.
Aggrieved villagers informed that six children have died till date deprived of health facility at doorstep despite the State Government’s much-touted tall claims and promises.
In his reactions, CDMO Dr Jagdish Prasad Mahanand said, “Two children have died as per the official record. One child died of anaemia. His blood sample was tested and was found neither affected by malaria parasite nor any other disease. He was being attended by our paediatrician Dr Acharya and was referred to be administered blood transfusion at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH), but the guardians took him back home and the child succumbed there. One more child had not come to hospital. He suffered from fever for some days and died.”
Need to be mentioned here that former Nuapada Collector Jaykumar V (incumbent Koraput Collector) during his stint here had sanctioned Rs 15 lakh for the 5 kms stretch of road construction to the village and Rs 10 lakh for electrification, but yet to be executed.
Talking to OMMCOM NEWS, Nuapada MLA and Odisha BJP president Basant Panda said, “Samadpadar’s case has come to my notice and a team of ours will be visiting there. We will be taking up the matter with the CDMO as well as the district administration.”
