Bokaro (Jharkhand): Once a hotbed of Naxal activity, a tiny village in Jharkhand's Bokaro district is now inching towards normalcy, but development still seems far away.
The tiny hamlet of Aman, which is situated in the Jhumra Hills area, was once under the influence of Naxals. Through the Jhumra Action Plan, the government did succeed in restoring peace in the area, but even seven decades after independence, the village is yet to see actual development on the ground.
Aman, which is part of the Chute Panchayat, is 25 kilometres away from the panchayat headquarters, perhaps the only Indian village situated so far from its Panchayat Bhavan.
However, instead of opting for the long 25-kilometre road, locals opt to use the shorter, but much more arduous five-kilometre long journey through a rugged rocky path.
People have to often make the tough journey to get essential supplies, and they have no other option as the long road is also not easy to travel.
Read: Jharkhand woman carries ailing daughter on shoulders
"For commodities like rice, we have to take this path. Few people get horses to transport goods, but most people who cannot afford horses have no other option but to carry the goods on their heads," said Sanjay Kumar Mahato, a resident of Aman.
He added that the villagers have made multiple requests to the administration for a road, but all pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
However, villagers hope that the local MLA can come to their rescue and find a solution to the issue.
Speaking about the hurdle in way of the construction of a road, local MLA Dr Lambodar Mahato said that since the village is situated in forested area, a no-objection certificate would be required from the forest department for a road to be built in the region.
Mahato assured that he would take steps to ensure that the forest department gives its approval and the village can soon realise its dream of a road.
Once the road is constructed, the distance between the village and the panchayat building would be reduced to a mere five kilometres.
Read: Jharkhand govt not doing enough to defeat coronavirus: Nishikant Dubey
