Melghat tribals march to Collector's office demanding all-weather cement roads for remote villages

Nearly 80 years after Independence, the remote tribal villages of Melghat are still struggling for a basic facility such as paved roads. Without roads, patients, pregnant women, students and villagers face severe hardship, and health and education have become serious concerns. To draw the government's attention to these problems, tribal residents on Monday took out a march from Veerangana Rani Durgavati Chowk and held a sit-in at the Collector's office premises.

Slogans such as "Not Lok Sabha, not Vidhan Sabha, the Gram Sabha is the highest" and "A cement concrete road from Domi to Ruipathar must be built" echoed through the area. The protest raised the road issues of several villages, including Doma, Bhusum, Kuhi, Ruipathar, Khokhomar, Chilati, Simori, Karanjkheda, Marita, Savarkheda, Hatru, Raipur and Borata.

The protesters demanded durable cement concrete roads on various routes so that the tribal villages have year-round connectivity. The routes include Ruipathar-Domi Naka, Sumita-Domi, Doma-Bhusum, Bhusum-Khokhomar, Bhusum-Raja Phata, Chilati-Kuhi, Simori Phata-Sumita (10 km), Khutida Phata-Ekatai Phata, Hatru-Savarkheda, Retya Phata-Joda Kuwa, Savarkheda-Retyakheda, Raipur-Retyakheda and Retyakheda-Bhusum. A bridge over the river at Khutida was also demanded.

Villagers said that despite submitting representations several times earlier, their demands were not met, so they had to take to agitation. The protesters want the Collector to hold a meeting of officials from the departments concerned with construction and road development, take firm decisions and draw up a time-bound action plan for the work. Hatru deputy sarpanch Bhaiyyalal Mavaskar, gram panchayat member Gendalal Kasdekar and elected representatives and tribal residents from various villages took part.

The memorandum demands that the shortage of road, electricity, health and education facilities in remote areas be addressed. It says patients are delayed in getting timely treatment, while students have to make dangerous journeys to study. Villagers said in particular that women face difficulty getting timely medical help during childbirth. The memorandum also mentions deaths of mothers because of the lack of roads.