Bhubaneswar: In a stark reminder of rural Odisha’s infrastructural challenges, a grieving family in Dhenkanal district was forced to carry the body of a deceased relative for over two kilometres on a bamboo cot after the hearse van broke down on a mud road.The incident took place in Pakatamunda village on Monday. The deceased, identified as Sidha Munda, had died after being bitten by a venomous snake while asleep. With no mobile connectivity in the village, his family struggled to arrange transport and eventually rushed him to the Parjang Community Health Centre, where doctors declared him dead.While returning home with the body in a hearse, the vehicle became stuck on the damaged village road. With no other option, the bereaved family carried the body on foot to their home — a sight that has once again highlighted the lack of basic road connectivity in interior Odisha.This is not an isolated incident. Earlier this month, on August 2, villagers of Badakhaman in neighbouring Keonjhar district were forced to carry the body of an elderly man, Chouban Dehury, for over five kilometres, crossing the swollen Samakoi river on foot, as their village lacks a motorable road or bridge.Locals allege that repeated demands for all-weather roads and bridges have gone unheeded, leaving them cut off during the monsoon. “Every year we remain marooned. Roads and bridges are promised, but never built,” a villager said.“Both these incidents raise serious questions about rural infrastructure gaps in Odisha, where lack of connectivity continues to turn grief into an ordeal. The political leadership and policy makers must try to bridge these gaps. Keonjhar and Dhenkanal have enough funds in their District Mineral Foundations (DMFs) which can be utilised for building roads, bridges and hospitals,” said Khetrabasi Mahakud, a resident of Keonjhar.
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