Rayagada infrastructure paralysis (!)
Dr.Badal Tah,Odishabarta
PMGSY roads paralyzed by litigation, MPLADS execution at dismal 14%, and contaminated water behind school Hepatitis-a outbreak
Rayagada, October 3: In an intense district review that laid bare severe administrative inertia and rural development bottlenecks, Koraput MP Er. Saptagiri Ulaka convened the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) at the Rayagada Collectorate New Conference Hall. Attended by the MLAs of Rayagada, Bissamcuttack and Gunupur along with senior district administrative and line-department officials, the meeting revealed alarming gaps across core public services—from court-stalled road corridors and unspent development funds to structural failures that triggered a major Hepatitis-A outbreak in a residential tribal school.
Out of the rural road works in the Rayagada division, 122 road projects are currently stayed due to court cases, completely choking last-mile connectivity across remote habitations.
MPLADS Fund Utilization Plunges to 14%. Out of ₹501.50 lakh recommended for 42 projects in FY 2024–25, merely ₹71.50 lakh has been utilized, with only 23 projects completed on the e-SAKSHI portal. Another 73 projects recommended for 2025–26 remain stranded without sanctions.
Contaminated drinking water at Robadi SSD Girls’ High School caused 161 reported jaundice cases, with 45 confirmed Hepatitis-A positive. Ground verification revealed that the school’s main production well was constructed flush with the ground level without a protective bore platform. The health crisis was formally linked to contaminated water infrastructure.
A technical inquiry conducted by RWS&S officials exposed basic engineering lapses. While emergency rectification was carried out—disinfecting four tube wells, raising the well casing, building an elevated platform, and sinking an alternate source—the incident highlighted an absence of pre-emptive sanitation inspections across state-run residential schools. Lawmakers flagged that Take Home Ration (THR/Chhatua) packets are being distributed to pregnant women and lactating mothers without awaiting mandatory government quality test reports.
Despite a 100% paper-digitization rate of 4.61 lakh Records of Rights (RoRs), modern physical survey/re-survey achievements and Aadhaar-RoR linkages stand at 0%.While the administration celebrated a 100% digital score for converting 4,61,315 RoRs and 5,110 cadastral maps into digital format across 11 Tahasils, substantive ground updates have stalled entirely. Physical resurveys under DILRMP/NLRMP are at a complete standstill (0% progress across all 2,664 villages). Dynamic consent-based linkage between citizen land records and Aadhaar stands at 0%, leaving land governance vulnerable to disputes. On a positive front, drone operations under the SVAMITVA scheme have surveyed 2,401 of 2,654 villages, distributing 4,276 digital property cards across 161 villages to provide rural households formal credit collateral.
Lawmakers also censured hospital administration over a reported incident at DHH Rayagada where a severely anemic child (8 gm% Hb) was forcibly discharged following departmental miscommunication.
In the Rayagada Rural Works Division, 122 PMGSY-IV road projects remain frozen under judicial stays, while 33 tenders are stalled in scrutiny, leaving only 11 works under signed agreements. In Gunupur division, 80 works remain caught in tendering processes.
MP & MLAs voiced sharp criticism over the deteriorated condition of the State Highway stretch connecting JK to Bhawanipatna, which has developed extensive potholes and elevated accident rates. On National Highway 326, the sharp curvature and treacherous alignment of Gumma Ghat were flagged as severe accident hazards requiring redesign. Land acquisition delays also continue to hold up bypass projects around Rayagada and J.K. Pur town.
MP Ulaka issued a direct reprimand to the district administration, instructing the Collector and CDO-cum-EO of Zilla Parishad to personally step in and clear the backlog immediately.
Legislators raised critical alarms over nutritional safety nets managed by the Social Welfare Section. MLAs highlighted that Take Home Ration (THR/Chhatua) consignments for pregnant women and lactating mothers were repeatedly being cleared and distributed by entrenched production units without awaiting statutory laboratory quality-check clearances.
To dismantle long-standing supplier monopolies and enforce strict weighment and nutritional guidelines, the committee directed the District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO) to induct vetted Women Self-Help Groups (WSHGs) and enforce strict pre-distribution batch testing.
As per the proceedings of DISHA meeting, committee ordered all line departments to submit formal Action Taken Reports (ATRs) and compliance documentation to the CDO-cum-Executive Officer of the Zilla Parishad within seven working days. Priority mandates include setting up a legal task force to vacate the 122 court stays stalling rural roads, enforcing third-party lab testing for all Anganwadi food provisions prior to distribution, and resolving portal logjams to ground every pending MPLADS work without further delay.
