They Kept Getting Promises, But No Road. So These Villagers Built One

They kept hearing promises and reassurances and saw no action being taken. But the residents of a small, tribal hamlet deep inside Madhya Pradesh's Barwani district decided they couldn't wait any longer. So they picked up shovels, carried stones and, over the course of just two weeks, built themselves a 4.3-kilometre road without a single rupee from the government.

Bedi Fartala is a small village under the Roser panchayat, located in a hilly, remote terrain of Barwani, with a population of just 350. For decades, the villagers, most of whom are tribals, struggled without a road. When it rained, their children couldn't reach their school. Pregnant women and the elderly were carried on makeshift cots across slushy, slippery trails.

"We gave applications. We pleaded. Every time a leader came asking for votes, we reminded them," says Dharam Singh, a resident, wiping sweat off his face. "But nothing happened. So we stopped waiting."

With the monsoon approaching again, the villagers decided it was now or never. A meeting was held. Every household offered labour - some brought food, some offered tools, and many just came with bare hands and willing hearts.

"The main road ends nearly 3 km from our village. After that, we have to walk, even in medical emergencies. Children graze goats instead of going to school because it's too far, too unsafe. We had to act," said Sunil, another villager.

And act they did. With incredible coordination, the community led by example. Half the villagers worked in the fields, the rest worked on the road. Women cooked and delivered meals to the workers on site. Elderly men broke rocks, children carried small stones.

What they have now, villagers say, is more than just a path - it is a symbol of ownership, of self-respect. "This is not just a road. This is our identity now," said one of the young volunteers, proudly pointing to the freshly carved stretch that winds through the hills.

Local MLA Rajan Mandloi admitted that the region suffers from poor infrastructure. "It's not just Bedi Fartala. Many panchayats in the area are disconnected. Plans for road work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme were discussed earlier, but many projects were never implemented. People are helpless," he said.