Residents of Guna village in Madhya Pradesh live without essential services.
In the Soda district, there are about 700 residents, of which 300 are eligible voters. Voters in the village voted in every election, hoping that the government and administration would help them access essential services.
However, even after 73 years of independence, there is no road to the village. People in the area say they do not get help from any government program. They visit neighbouring Rajasthan in a medical emergency as there is no hospital in the nearby towns and the district hospital is far from the village.
During the Soda floods in 2005, Madhya Pradesh Prime Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was trapped there. During the floods, many people lost their lives and people trapped in low-lying areas were evacuated to safer areas by military helicopters.
At the time, CM Chouhan had announced that he would relocate residents to a safer area, but even after sixteen years from then, the announcement did not materialize. Residents are eagerly awaiting the day when they will be relocated to connect with the community of the Bamori region and benefit from government programs.
Every year, residents of Soda village receive eviction notices due to heavy rains causing conditions such as flooding in the area. Outside of the Parvati River, seven significant canals surround the village.
During the heavy rains, many locals arrive in Rajasthan. They returned to their villages after the end of the rainy season.
The village women say that to give birth or be treated, one has to cross the border into Chhabra in the Rajasthan district of Baran. They said no one received a penny under the government’s R1400 delivery plan.
Guna collector Frank Noble A said he was unaware of the situation in Soda village but had now received information about the village.
“The people of this village will benefit from all government programs. Rural people will not face any problem. A master plan is also being developed to help the citizens,” he said.