Villagers in Madhya Pradesh's Papoundh village planted paddy on a damaged road to protest years of government inaction. Their unique protest highlights civic neglect and growing anger ahead of the upcoming elections.
A group of angry villagers in Papoundh, a remote village in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district, have taken a very different route to protest the poor condition of their road. Since their demands were not being heard, they decided to plant paddy saplings directly on the muddy road.
This unusual protest caught attention across the state and spread widely on social media.
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'This is not a road, it's a field'
The road that connects Papoundh village to the main road has been in a very bad condition for years. According to the villagers, it turns into a muddy mess during the monsoon, making it nearly impossible for vehicles or people to pass, reports the Times of India.
TOI quoted one local resident, "It looks more like a field than a road. So we thought, why not plant rice here?"
Children, women and even elderly people joined the protest. They said the road was so bad that students often miss school, and patients face trouble reaching hospitals.
Years of silence despite repeated appeals
Villagers claim they have been requesting the government for years to build the road. But their complaints have not brought any results.
An elderly man from the village said, "Since Independence, not even a single trolley of gravel has been put on this road."
The villagers believe they have been ignored because they come from a rural area and have no strong voice in politics.
Panchayat blames delay on sanctions and monsoon
The sarpanch of Papoundh village, Vineet Kumar Chaturvedi, said he had been trying to get the road built for some time. He said that the government had stopped the construction of gravel roads for almost a year.
"Now, the sanction process has started again, but it happens at the district level. Also, the monsoon has already arrived, which delays work," he said.
He assured the villagers that he would continue to push for the road to be constructed.
Villagers issue warning ahead of elections
Many villagers said they are tired of being ignored and warned that if the government continues to delay, they will raise their voice in the upcoming elections.
"If no one listens now, we will make our protest heard through our vote," said one young protester.
This protest is not the first of its kind. Recently, a video from Sidhi district demanding construction of a road went viral.
A cry for basic needs
The protest from Papoundh and Sidhi highlights the basic challenges that many villages in India still face. Roads, schools and hospitals are still not fully available in many rural areas.
The paddy protest may look humorous to some, but for the villagers of Papoundh, it is a serious appeal for dignity, development, and attention.
