Made to travel via poor road, official promises to repair it

got a new spin when villagers in Manbazar block of Purulia district in West Bengal decided to organise a cricket match to highlight the pathetic condition of the road.

When repeated appeals fell on deaf ears, the villagers held a tournament and invited the sub divisional officer (SDO) as the chief guest for the final. The official had to travel through the same road to reach the venue.

The village with about 250 families organised the tournament from December 4. The final was played on December 24.

The new pitch seems to have worked. After reaching the village, about 5km from Manbazar, the SDO realised the reason he was invited and promised the locals that road will be repaired.

“I have spoken to the block development officer and asked him to submit the budget and plan so that the road can be repaired at the earliest,” said Sanjay Pal, the SDO.

No one in Harekrishnapur remembers when the road, the only one connecting the village with Manbazar, was repaired the last time. “Villagers use bicycles. You will not find anyone in the village who does not have to get his tyres fixed frequently, all because of the condition of the road,” said Debdas Chatterjee, secretary of the village’s club.

The village has a pumphouse near Kangsabati river. “If it malfunctions, personnel avoid coming for repair as they have to travel through the road,” he said.

“We initially thought about erecting roadblocks. But then we thought about holding a cricket match and inviting the authorities as chief guest.” When the SDO reached the match venue, the organisers asked him if he faced any difficulty on the way. The googly worked.

“I have learnt about the condition of the road. It’s a matter of shame that the road has not been repaired. I am talking with the local administration to solve the problem,” said Sandhya Rani Tudu, the MLA of Manbazar.

MIDNAPORE:Demonstration