A harrowing incident in Baradyodi village, Nabarangpur, has exposed the hollow claims of rural development. On Thursday, 26-year-old Pana Jani went into labor, but the 108 ambulance could not reach her due to the lack of a motorable road.
Left with no choice, desperate villagers carried her on a stretcher for three kilometers through rugged terrain to reach the nearest vehicle in Sindhiguda.
Baradyodi remains a forgotten pocket, lacking electricity, clean water, and basic connectivity. Frustrated by years of administrative neglect, residents previously boycotted elections and have now returned their ration cards in protest, even demanding a merger with a neighboring district for better facilities.
Decades after independence, the sight of a pregnant woman being carried on a makeshift stretcher serves as a stinging indictment of local governance. It highlights a grim reality: for some, the "path to progress" simply does not exist.