Palamu (Jharkhand), Aug 31 (ANI): With the Maoists halting construction and repair work of the roads in Jharkhand's Palamu District, the villagers are finding it difficult to commute from the remote interiors to the cities to go to schools and hospitals
Most of the roads are patchy with rocks scattered all over them and where incessant rains have led to ditches and pits.
Most of the private and public vehicles are unable to ply on the uneven roads.
The ongoing monsoon season is making things more difficult, as most of the unmetalled roads have developed ditches and pits causing greater inconvenience in commuting.
The worst hit are the students who have adopted bicycles as a mode of transport, but the rocks and pits on the uneven roads hamper their daily commute.
"We are finding it very difficult to travel on cycles and no vehicles are plying on the road. When the road was being constructed then they (Maoists) stopped it and now no vehicles are plying on it," said Sunita, a student.
The students, however, hoped the construction work would be completed soon.
"The road is very bad and that is why it is very important that the road should be completed. It has become very difficult to go to and to come back from school. So we want that the roads should be completed on our side," added Monica, another student.
The destructive activities of Maoist ultras are creating problems for contractors, who have been assigned various development works in the region.
Bhavnath Singh, a villager, lamented over the inconvenience caused by the lack of basic infrastructure.
"If the road would have been made then it would have been very beneficial. It would have become easier for people to go to commute to the markets, city, district courts and hospitals and even to travel in case of emergency cases. Yes it was being constructed, but we heard that some Maoists stopped the work," said Bhavnath Singh.
The district authorities here, however, deny that there is any delay in the road construction work and attributed any unwarranted delay to the monsoon season.
"We do not have any such information that some roads have been blocked by Maoists, whenever we get such information then police immediately takes action. Right now, the monsoon season is going, so it seems that the process of road construction has been stalled at places," said Girish Pandey, Palamu Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).
Fearing violent attack by Maoists, several villagers moved out a couple of years ago and relocated themselves in nearby towns and cities, in search of their daily bread, education and most importantly, peace.
According to analysts, the Maoists oppose all development activity such as the construction of roads, schools, hospitals and drinking water facilities, which the administration has tried to take up.
Contractors are killed, schools are burnt, electric poles are destroyed and activities, which could lead to development, are halted. For, if development comes to the area, Maoists fear that their support base will diminish. (ANI)
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