Odisha:150 tribal families of Gobindachandrapur continue to be deprived of housing scheme benefits

BARIPADA: Barley a kilometre from Similipal National Park, more than 150 tribal families living in two wards of Gobindachandrapur continue to be deprived of housing benefits under State and Centre sponsored schemes. The people of wards No. 5 and 6 live in temporary sheds with tarpaulin sheets as roofs with no power supply, ration facility or road. The village comes under the Kuchilaghati panchayat within the Shamakhunta block in the Mayurbhanj district. 

Chandamoni Singh (62) lives in a dilapidated thatched house where the roof is protected by a tarpaulin sheet. Another woman, Gurubari Singh (55) also faces the same woes as she is unable to build a pucca house with the benefits of various schemes not reaching her. 

“As a daily labourer, I face financial crisis and am unable to procure essential materials to repair my house. I have my own land and have frequently requested the ward member, sarpanch and BDO of Shamakhunta to build the house under the government scheme (Indira Awas Yojana), for which I have submitted the necessary documents. After having contacted the officials for three years,  I have received only assurances and am not interested to meet them anymore,” alleged Gurubari.

Sixty-five-year-old Soma Singh and Makudi Singh (57), a poor couple of the same village living under a tarpaulin sheet supported by a few bamboo stumps have long been trying to get a house built from a government scheme. “We have been in the village for more than 65 years in a thatched house where now our son’s family stays,” the couple said. 

Though their son is earning, it is not enough to fulfil the daily needs of the family. The couple requested the sarpanch and ward member to allot funds under a scheme to build the house but they seem uninterested because the family voted for an opposition candidate, the couple added.

Contacted, sarpanch Mamata Singh admitted that because people did not vote for the previously elected representatives, they are turning deaf ears to their problems. However, she said a team of officials had conducted a door-to-door survey in the two wards in 2011 but since then no official has visited the village. 
“As the sarpanch, I am aware of the problems of the residents of the two wards. I will meet the BDO and Collector soon and tell them about the issue,” Singh said.

Mayurbhanj Collector Vineet Bhardwaj said priority has been given to people who were listed under the Socio-Economic Caste Census census. He also asked the BDO of Shamakhunta to look into the matter and take necessary steps.