Sanawad (Madhya Pradesh): This is the story of 3,000-odd villagers who live in Bamangaon village, about 10-kilometre from Sanawad tehsil headquarters, in Khargone district.
Monsoon is always a challenge for these villagers. A culvert over the nullah on the outskirts is submerged in rainwater from rainy season thus cutting off village’s only way of commutation.
The culvert remains submerged for the entire four months. This nullah flows into Bakur river which later joins Narmada near Kankariya village in Rawerkhedi famous for warrior Bajirao Peshwa Samadhi.
Villagers said that the situation has remained the same for the last six decades as no public representative or bureaucrat was ready to listen to their plight.
The nullah is 15 to 20 feet deep, said the villagers adding that daily hundreds of people, including schoolchildren, travel through this culvert. During monsoon, people put their life in risk by using the submerged culvert.
They said that sometimes, villagers had to wait for hours for water to recede so that they could use the culvert. “Most of the villagers are farmers and often visit Sanawad and other places to sell their produce. Students also take the same path to travel to their schools,” said villager Shyam Patidar.
The villagers of Bamangaon and Dhasgaon said that accidents were frequent on culvert during rainy season. Despite repeated complaints to regional MLA, no succour had been offered. Despite repeated attempts, Free Press failed to contact village sarpanch Jaamsingh Jhamrey.
Deputy sarpanch Ajay Choudhary, however, told Free Press that they had been demanding proper bridge over the nullah for long. Apart from Bamangaon village, three to four nearby villages too were cut-off from other parts during monsoon season. He warned of agitation if the government failed to fulfil their demands.
With inputs from Shyam Maheshwari.
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