Residents of Mudlapura turned to Gandhigiri concept of self-help to lay a new road themselves, frustrated by the inaction of municipality authorities
When their repeated requests fell on deaf ears, residents of Mudlapura in Koppal got together and laid a new road, setting some sort of example.
The earlier mud road, adjacent to the Hirehalli reservoir, would become impossible to walk on during the rainy season when the reservoir would overflow.
The flooding situation is dire in the village as well. An order to shift the village was passed 20 years ago, but the order has not been implemented.
Though the village has not been shifted, officers responsible allegedly have not taken any measures to provide basic facilities to the villagers, citing technical and legal reasons.
“This village is anyways going to be shifted. What is the use of any measures,” say officers.
Due to the bad condition of the road, even bus transportation to the village has been cancelled. The transport department has clearly stated that the road is not suitable for any bus to travel. This has affected students, who now are forced to walk at least four to five km to go to schools and college in Veerapur and Madinur. Many have dropped out of school for this reason.
The village has a population of 1,000 and has a primary school. More than 100 students are forced to walk to Veerapur for higher secondary school.
The sorry state of the road had even made it difficult to walk on it.
On the request of students, residents, on Monday and Tuesday, gathered in large numbers and used an Earth mover, tractor and pick axes to lay a new road themselves.
So far authorities have not reacted to the development.
