In Jamalpur, a village in West Bengal's Purba Bardhaman district, a group of women turned a crumbling road into a makeshift paddy field this week, using the muddy potholes themselves to send a message to local officials.
Paddy planted in flooded potholes
The stretch of road leads to the Jamalpur Primary Health Centre and has been in poor shape for a long time. On Tuesday, women linked to a local self-help group gathered on the road and planted paddy saplings in the rainwater filled potholes that dot the route. The unusual protest was designed to grab attention in a way that repeated verbal complaints had failed to do.
Pregnant women and patients bear the brunt
The protesting women said the damaged road has made it genuinely dangerous to transport patients to hospital, with pregnant women facing the greatest risk when they need to reach the health centre quickly. They pointed out that the large craters scattered across the road have already caused several accidents, and that toto vehicles carrying patients have overturned more than once because of the poor surface.
Corruption allegations against the previous government
The women also alleged that the road was neglected throughout the tenure of the earlier Trinamool government, claiming that funds meant for its construction were siphoned off through corruption instead of being used for actual repair work.
Hoping the current government acts quickly
Through this protest, the women said they now want to draw the attention of the current government to the problem so that repair work begins without further delay. Their demand is simple, they want the road fixed soon enough that patients, and especially pregnant women, no longer have to risk a dangerous journey just to reach the hospital.
