NAINITAL: Despite grand government claims of connecting every village with a road network, the harsh reality in Uttarakhand paints a starkly different picture.Just a mere three kilometres from the bustling Nainital district headquarters lies Gairkhet, a village frozen in time. Its residents are grappling with the profound isolation of living without a single motorable road. This lack of basic connectivity doesn’t just hinder development; it dictates every aspect of life, from education, healthcare, to even the very prospects of marriage. Each morning, schoolchildren embark on a gruelling 10-kilometre round trip on winding, treacherous paths to reach schools in Nainital. “It takes us nearly two hours just to commute, and we live in constant fear of wild animals,” recounts Himani Bisht, a student, highlighting the daily peril.Healthcare is a distant dream; the sick, especially pregnant women, must be carried on shoulders or makeshift palanquins to the B.D. Pandey District Hospital in Nainital. “Several pregnant women had miscarriages due to delays in reaching the hospital; one woman, despite four pregnancies, lost all her cases,” tragically shares Hema, a local resident.Perhaps, the most heartbreaking consequence is the village’s inability to secure marital alliances. “The biggest problem is that due to the lack of a road, young boys and girls here do not get wedding proposals,” shares local resident Deepika. Hema corroborates: “Our sons and daughters are growing older; but no one wants to marry into a village without a road.” This grim reality has forced nearly half the village to migrate. The lack of connectivity impacts daily life severely.
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