The Hindu : Karnataka News : Road link after a long wait

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 08, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Road link after a long wait

T V Sivanandan

GULBARGA: The Basawan and Panegoan Tandas, which are 25 km from Gulbarga city, and have more than 500 houses, were not connected by road and hence, bus services were not available there. The only means of transport for the residents of these two tandas were private jeeps, autorickshaws and bullock carts, which were usually operated on kutcha roads. During the rainy season they remained cut-off from the outside world due to slushy ground conditions.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) has now served as a platform for the residents of these two tandas to see the outside world owing to construction of a 4 km road linking them with Panegoan village.

Bus service

Chief Executive Officer of the Gulbarga zilla panchayat P.C. Jaffer, who had approved construction of the road after the gram sabha decided to take up work under the NREGS, told The Hindu here on Tuesday that the North East Karnatak a Road Transport Corporation had started bus services to the tandas.

Employment

According to Mr. Jaffer the construction of the road had not only helped the residents of these tandas establish a link with the outside world, but also provided employment to them. The formation of the road had also provided more than 200 workers with a minimum of 100 days work.

Labour migration

Work taken up under the NREGS, including the construction of the Gokatta, check dams and soil and water conservation activity had helped in arresting the migration of workers to big cities.

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