Nothing is impossible with hard work and determination, not even breaking down a mountain single-handedly. This has been exemplified by a man named Harihar Behera from the tribal area of Odagaon block district of Nayagarh, in Odisha.
Behera’s brings us the Déjà vu feel of Bihar’s Dasrath Manjhi, and just like him, the Odia tribal dug out a whole 3 Km road in the hilly terrain to help his village.
Some 30 years back, Harihar noticed that the people of his village – Tulubi – were cut out from the world due to a lack of good roads. For the same, a group of residents had met a minister to plea for the road construction connecting their village. However, the minister refused to take it up.
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And so, Harihar did not depend on the administration and took out his iron instruments to start digging the road. And he has been doing so incessantly since then, which has become a great boon to the residents there.
“We had no proper roads that connected us to the town. This caused great difficulty to travel. We repeatedly asked the district administration to construct proper routes but they did not pay heed. Finally we had to do it ourselves. It took us almost 30 years to build this road. I am very happy now so are our villagers,” said Harihar Behera.
Krushna Behera, Harihar’s brother, joined him in the initiative. They started with clearing the jungles of the forest and then blasting the hills phase-wise, cracking large rocks and laying stones with the help of carts. But they realized that the process is seemingly bad for the nature surrounding the place. So they stopped doing it. Eventually, the brothers paved the way with bare hands, using implements for miles. They managed to do it along with continuing their agricultural engagements on the field.
But sadly, he lost his brother halfway and continued to do the job on his own. Seeing their dedication, few villagers also joined him occasionally.
“This road is not only meant for my village but also a tribute to my late elder brother Krushna from me,” said Behera.
Today, any vehicle can run on the road and reach Tulubi. The residents can go to any nearby town or city to sell and buy products and do other chores or jobs. Even little kids who earlier had to risk their lives due to lack of roads can go to schools safely. All thanks to Harihar.
Yet Tulubi isn’t the only village that has been neglected. But after Harihar’s work, the district administration has finally woke up. The district village development department and panchayats have started several road developments works in the last two years.