"When elections come, leaders come with folded hands, but after the elections, no one comes to see our broken roads." This is the outrage of the tribal community of Jamnia village in Valia taluka of Bharuch district. Amidst the glitter of development and talk of 'Digital India', this village is still struggling for basic amenities. The angry villagers have now decided to fight the battle across the border and the village priest has put up a board - 'No road, no vote' .
20 years of waiting and empty promises
The plight of Jamnia village is not new. The 3 km road connecting the village to the main road was last leveled in 2006. Two decades have passed since then, but the fate of this road has not been revealed from the administrative files. Today, the situation is such that one has to find a way here, only stones and potholes reign. During the monsoon, this village turns into an island and the people are cut off from the rest of the world.
The reality that opens the door to development
The lack of facilities in the village is not just an inconvenience, but also a threat to life:
Poor health conditions: When someone falls ill in the village or a pregnant woman needs to be taken to the hospital, even the 108 ambulance refuses to come in. Cases where many women have to give birth on the road due to potholed roads are common here.
Education Obsession: Village children have to walk 3 km every day through mud and mud to reach the main road to get higher education.
Schemes on paper: The government's 'Nal se Jal' and other welfare schemes are only on government books, but at the ground level, Jamania village is still deprived.
'No road, no vote' - villagers' cry
Fed up with empty promises from leaders, the entire village has now unanimously declared a boycott of the polls. The villagers say, "We vote every time in the name of democracy, but in return we get only dust and potholes. If the road work does not start before the elections, not a single person from the village will go to vote."
Challenge for the system
This protest of Jamnia village in the tribal region is like a red light for the government and the administration. On the one hand, the government claims to provide development to the last man, on the other hand, this village in Bharuch is witnessing the inaction of the administration. Now it remains to be seen whether the problems of the people of Jamnia village will be resolved in this festival of democracy or their polling stations will remain silent?
Main demands of Jamnia village:
A 3 km paved road connecting the village to the main road
Facility for ambulance to arrive in case of emergency
Meeting the basic needs of drinking water and education
