Jharkhand News : The remote Landupdih village in Jharkhand’s Khunti district remains cut off from basic infrastructure, highlighting the stark gap between development claims and ground reality. The absence of an all-weather road means that ambulances, maternity vehicles and other four-wheelers cannot reach the village, forcing residents to carry sick patients, elderly people and pregnant women on cots for several kilometres to the nearest motorable road.
A recent tragedy brought the village’s plight into sharp focus. A pregnant woman experiencing labour pains was being carried to a hospital on a cot when she gave birth on the way because of the difficult terrain. Although the baby was delivered, the newborn died shortly afterwards due to the lack of timely medical care.
Villagers say the incident could have been avoided if the village had proper road connectivity and an ambulance had been able to reach in time. They describe it as not just one family’s tragedy, but a reflection of the severe shortage of basic infrastructure in remote rural areas.
Whenever someone falls seriously ill, treatment effectively begins with a cot rather than an ambulance. Residents first carry the patient on foot for several kilometres before arranging a vehicle to reach a hospital, often losing precious time that can prove critical.
Conditions worsen during the monsoon, when the unpaved road turns into deep mud, making even walking difficult. The inability of maternity vehicles to access the village also affects regular health check-ups for pregnant women, putting maternal and child health at risk.
The education sector faces similar challenges. Landupdih has neither a primary school nor an Anganwadi centre. Children have to travel to neighbouring villages for education, and many are unable to attend school regularly because of poor roads and long distances. Financial hardship and geographical isolation also force some families to discontinue their children’s education.
Despite these difficulties, Rani Nag, Rupu Munda and Das Munda have completed their graduation, becoming an inspiration for other children in the village. They believe that better roads, schools and basic facilities would enable many more students to pursue higher education.
Villagers also point out that there is no women’s self-help group in the village, limiting opportunities for women’s economic empowerment and livelihood activities. They allege that major development projects have not reached the area for years.
Village head Manga Nag said that constructing a permanent road is the community’s foremost demand. According to him, improved road connectivity would transform healthcare, education and employment by allowing ambulances to reach the village, enabling children to attend school regularly and ensuring easier access to government welfare schemes.
He added that memorandums demanding road construction have been submitted several times to MLA Ram Surya Munda, MP Kalicharan Munda, and district officials, but no concrete action has been taken so far.
Meanwhile, Manoj Kumar, Junior Engineer of the Rural Works Division, Khunti, said the department has received the villagers’ complaint and that the necessary process for road construction will be initiated soon.
For the residents of Landupdih, the demand is simple: a road. They believe that once road connectivity is established, healthcare, education, employment and overall development will finally reach their village, ensuring that no expectant mother is forced to give birth on the roadside and no newborn loses its life simply because an ambulance could not arrive in time.
