Bidare villagers to boycott polls

Political leaders do not visit the village after the elections, say angry voters

“There is no difference between any political parties. Leaders visit our village only during elections. However, none of the leaders have the courtesy to listen to our grievances after the elections,” Santhosh, a youth in the village explains the helplessness. He asserts that the villagers will teach a lesson to the politicians by boycotting the elections to the Zilla Panchayat and the taluk panchayat.

Bidare villages is just 20 kilometres away from the Aldur - Balehonnur State highway. Residents in Gandi, Gundihombala, Byadagere, Balekoppa, Karadikan, Kodi, Patna, Ujaini, Siragula, Kolarkan, Bidare and Bukkigudde in the gram panchayat are deprived of all basic facilities which their counterparts in towns enjoy.

Explaining the dire straits, villager Raghupathi said that the politicians had visited the village seeking vote in the previous elections. “Politicians promised us all facilities, but they never visited the village after the elections,” he lamented adding that the villagers do not have roads, water supply, electricity, sanitation, health centre, school or any other basic facilities.

The road which connects Bidare had seen development work only once after the Independence, he said. In fact, the road, which was asphalted years ago, has been turned into marshy field. Meanwhile, people, especially, women, elderly and students, are forced to walk through streams everyday as there is no road.

The Mescom had brought electric poles to provide electricity connections to houses under the Rajiv Gandhi Electricity Scheme in the village two years ago. However, none of the have been provided with electricity connection so far.

A school in Byadanagere here has a strength of 100 students, but only one teacher is there to teach them.

Villagers are deprived of the benefits of the health department that there are no primary health centres in the gram panchayat. The only hospital built spending Rs 15 lakh at Bidare is now leaking due to the sub-standard work. Finally, the villagers have unanimously taken a decision to boycott the upcoming elections.