The villagers carried the old woman in a doly

Karwar: 75 years have passed since India gained independence. However, the people of many villages in Uttara Kannada district have been unable to access road connections for the past seven decades and are still living without basic infrastructure. Not only that, there are situations where people have to be transported to the hospital in makeshift doly made from blankets during childbirth and illness. Many villages in the district, which have dense forest areas, are still not connected by roads. Due to the lack of vehicular traffic to these villages, unnecessary hardships are endured.

An incident occurred in Sanaka village of Joida taluk, where people were carrying a seriously ill old woman to the hospital in a sack .The forest road is the only means to reach Ghodegali village from Sanaka village in Joida taluk. During the rainy season, this road becomes completely muddy and impassable. A few days ago, an 80-year-old woman named Draupadi Pau Desai, a resident of Sanaka, fell seriously ill. Since an ambulance could not navigate this road to transport the old lady to the hospital, she was carried for about 2.5 km in a sack made from a blanket. From there, she was admitted to the hospital in Dandeli by a private vehicle and received treatment.

Joida is one of the most backward taluks in the state. The Sanaka Ghodegali Road spans approximately 2.5 km, and around 80 people live in about 12 houses in the area. Chandrakanta Nayka, a villager, has appealed to the government to construct a road for the village since they are deprived of government privileges. In Uttara Kannada,district prestigious projects such as the Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant, Kali Hydroelectric Project, and Naval Base provide electricity to the country. Local resident Praveena demanded that over 20 villages in Joida taluk lack basic facilities and urged the government to focus on providing at least those necessities.

It is indeed tragic that even after many decades of independence, villages continue to exist without basic amenities. The public expects the government to prioritize and provide necessary facilities to these villages.