Villagers Begin Culvert Repairs Themselves After No Help from Administration

Purushottam Patra, Gariaband. Out of the 5 rain drains on Rajapadav-Shobha Marg in Gariaband district of Chhattisgarh, the villagers have started repairing the 2 damaged culverts themselves. Actually, the villagers, angry with the administration's negligence, have started the repair work by donating labour and collecting donations. Repair of culverts is going on in Bagh Nala and Shobha Nala, where more than 100 youths of Garhadih Panchayat were engaged in the work today. The District Panchayat member said that the assurance given by the administration to approve the repair after the hunger strike turned out to be false.

The villagers cast a two and a half meter wide and four meter long slab in Bagh Nala culvert today, whose thickness was more than 10 inches. Earlier on Saturday, the youth of Gaur village had also done similar construction work. On Monday, the youth of Kokadi and Gona Panchayat will complete the remaining work. At the same time, this morning the youth of Shobha village also repaired Shobha Nala.
Collected donations for material

This initiative for repair was taken by Ambedkarwadi Yuva Sangathan. The organization's president Patang Markam, vice president Rohan Netam, secretary Nakul Nagesh, Purushottam Parde said that material worth about 5 lakhs is being used in both repair works excluding labour. People of 8 panchayats in the area held a meeting and decided to repair. A WhatsApp group has also been created. In which the account of the material used was kept. The Sarpanch of the local Panchayat, District Panchayat member, other Panchayat representatives, working youth, small businessmen, vehicle owners together collected the cost of construction.