Frustrated by official inaction, Pratapgarh villagers repair road themselves

Villagers in Pratapgarh district's Lalganj tehsil area took matters into their own hands and repaired a crucial road themselves after authorities repeatedly ignored their complaints about its deteriorating condition.

The Kharanja road connecting Gajrahi-Chamarupur route to Primary School Gajrahi, Gajrahi village and Nevada had been lying in a dilapidated state for a long time. The road surface had potholes throughout and the Kharanja paving had come off in several places, causing severe difficulties for both villagers and schoolchildren commuting on the route.

According to villagers, the Kharanja road had been in a broken-down condition for a considerable period. The situation would worsen further during the rainy season. Waterlogging and potholes on the route made even walking on foot extremely difficult. Children going to the primary school also had to face significant hardship while using the road.

To get the problem resolved, villagers made multiple attempts by lodging complaints on the IGRS portal and also approached the Gram Pradhan and other responsible officials demanding repair of the road. Despite these repeated efforts, the problem remained unresolved and no action was taken.

As complaints continued to be ignored and no corrective action was initiated, resentment among villagers kept growing. Eventually, the villagers decided to repair the road themselves rather than waiting for the government system to respond.

Through mutual cooperation and voluntary labour contribution, villagers repaired the damaged Kharanja road on their own. This effort is now expected to provide relief to people in commuting, at least for the time being.

Villagers said that even after complaining multiple times, when the responsible authorities did not pay attention to the road's condition, they were compelled by necessity to come forward themselves. While this initiative by villagers has set an example of mutual cooperation and community spirit, it has also raised serious questions about the working style and responsiveness of the departments responsible for maintaining public infrastructure.