Though the 2BHK housing scheme has recorded tardy pace of implementation across former united Adilabad district, the historic Jodeghat village in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district was promised special attention with regard to construction of the two bedroom houses for its 55 Raj Gond and Kolam Adivasi families, some of them descendents of the legendary martyr Kumram Bheem. It was none other than former IT Minister K. T. Rama Rao who had declared in October 2015 of sanctioning 50 2BHK houses for the village located deep inside the forest area about 23 km from Kerameri mandal headquarter.
Things, however, seemed to have moved only in 2017 when the government moved to acquire land for the purpose of construction of 30 houses for Jodeghat through letter number AE-I/20/2BHK/2017 issued by the Panchayat Raj Engineering Department on December 11, 2017. Another memo was issued on February 12, 2018 seeking handing over the site by Tahsildar concerned to the PR Engineering Department.
“We held a grama sabha and resolved to hand over 3.2 acres of land in survey number 22. All formalities preceding handing over of land were completed but nothing happened for more than an year that has elapsed since then,” rued Jodeghat village headman or patel Pendur Mohan Rao.
“We met officials several times but there is no convincing reply from them. We want the administration to start work immediately so that some progress can be shown by the time the martyrdom anniversary of Kumram Bheem is held this year in October,” he demanded.
Officials are tight-lipped over the delay in commencement of work on the houses. On conditions of anonymity one of them said no contractor has come forward for taking up the work.
“There are many places in the district where we are facing similar problem. The bad condition of roads and difficulty in transporting construction material is what makes contractors stay away,” he pointed out.