“At last our road is repaired….it was not repaired for the last 20 years”. The feeling was mutual for the villagers of Polash Danga who experienced the dearth of proper roads in thick and thin times.

The road connecting Polash Danga and Goatpara village was a long-standing demand of the villagers due to commutation challenges in access to healthcare facilities, education, and livelihood. Despite several requests, petitions and appeals, the issue was unheard by the authorities. Finally, the concrete road is ready to be used by the villagers.

Polash Danga is a medium size village located in the Indus Block of Bankura district, West Bengal. The population is majorly dependent on agriculture for survival and this road becomes their lifeline for them. Caritas India Uttoran, under the U3 program, selected this village for community empowerment, good governance, agriculture, and food sovereignty.

The people of Polash Danga have been living in this area for hundreds of years in cooperation with the neighbouring villages for meeting their basic amenities. The villagers are primarily farming for their livelihood and sustenance. This road is used by farmers to transport their produce to the market, children use to go to school, and patients use to reach the hospital and health services.

During medical emergencies, reaching the hospitals on time becomes a herculean task, here. Pregnant women and the elderly face real challenge to access hospitals during this crucial time. With time, the road has become practically inaccessible leaving the foundation stones and pebbles.

Uttoran program staff provided support to the villagers in initiating the dialogue with the panchayat, and block-level duty bearers to resolve the issue. This time people were persistent to resolve this issue. The matter reached the local MLA of Nakashipara and was finally sanctioned for the repair of 200 metres between Polash Danga and Goatpara village. The road repair commenced in May 2022 in Polash Danga and was completed before the monsoon.

The total cost of Rs. 7,84,062 road repairs gave employment to 20 people for 13 days. Each individual received a sum of Rs. 6500 as labour for their work. Additionally, the community used local resources- bamboo which was used to support the side road from withering away.

“This road was bad and it was very difficult to go to school but now we have no problem going to school after the road is repaired, ” says Payal Pramanik, studying in 11th standard at Nakashipara High School. The road is now fully functional with both motorable and pedestrian movement. Such community-led action resulting in sharing communities is aligned with the objectives of U3 program i.e., communities mobilising resources for the development of the village.

Uttoran under U3 programmes is fostering and securing self-sustaining climate resilient-cum-adaptive agriculture and livelihoods through community-owned processes.  The U3 programme emphasised community empowerment, leading to good governance, agriculture, and food sovereignty. The communities from Polash Danga have expressed their appreciation to the staff of Krishnagar Cathedral Charitable Social Society, West Bengal led Mr. Torun Kumar das for the inspiration leading to Communities Led Action.