The new read constructed under Pradhan
Mantri Gram Sarak Yozna to connect Lower Bong Busty with Kalimpong town
some five years back still remains incomplete today. The people still
face the same problem as the semi constructed roads with the onset of
rainy season is as good as nothing. Frustrated over the government’s
negligence of the road, locals today took it on to themselves and headed
out to repair and clean the road.
The 5km stretch of road from Seed Farm
to Daurali was constructed with a total investment of Rs3 crore under
the PMGSY scheme by the government. However, the project which was
started five years back still remains incomplete and many sections of
the road are in serious need of attention. After repeated pleas to the
administration went unheard, locals today decided to repair the roads on
their own.
When the project was announced the
people were happy thinking the roads would make their lives easier. Even
people with just a decimal piece of land sold it to the government for
the betterment of the area, but their sacrifice did not bring any gain
to them. Instead they themselves had to take the initiative to repair
the roads. To fund the repair works today, the villagers collected Rs100
from each household.
A 79-year old local Ananth Niroulla
questioned, “Where are the contractors who took up the projects? It is
disheartening to see the condition of the roads. The road has been dug
up but has not been tarred even after five years and with the first rain
of the season, the drains are clogged and the water has swept away the
loose surface of the kuccha road.” The excess water has also damaged the
farmlands adjacent to the road, he added.(EOIC)