Tribals demand path to main rd

Thane: Aadesh Rayat, a local, said, “Since there was no road and the route was a hilly area and had a waterfall, villagers had to wade through water but before reaching Darshana gave birth to a boy who died. It took around 45 minutes to cross the 15-minute route.” Locals said for many years they have been demanding a road to connect the village to the main road. They said there were around 75 residents in Dharnichapada village and last year a similar case was reported on September 22.
Villagers said if anybody fell ill they had to walk or in case of a serious patient villagers carry them in a doli. Villagers said during heavy rain it becomes more difficult due to a heavy flow of water from the hill route, which gets closed for three to four days till the water recedes. Rayat said this happened on September 1 and to spread awareness about problems they are facing he recorded a video of it and made it viral it on social media, but even after 48 hours no any authority or politician visited the village. Sources said there are many such villages on hilly areas and after 75 years of Independence they did not have roads.
Rajesh Channe, general secretary, Shramjivi Sanghathan, working for tribals in Thane district, said, “There are 61 padas in Shahapur taluka, while in many in Bhiwandi and Murbad taluka in Thane district, tribals do not have access to roads. They have been demanding roads as they face problems, especially elders, students and patients. Next week, we plan an agitation before Shahapur tehsildar office.” —Pradeep Gupta