In yet another incident highlighting the poor infrastructure and lack of road connectivity in remote pockets of Odisha, an injured man was forced to be carried on a makeshift cot for nearly four kilometres after an ambulance failed to reach his village in Paduguda under Dasmantpur block of Koraput district on Tuesday.

The incident occurred after Chandal Garada, a resident of the village, reportedly sustained a fracture in his leg. Following the injury, family members immediately contacted emergency ambulance services to shift him to hospital for treatment. However, the ambulance could not enter the village due to the absence of a proper motorable road.

With no other option left, villagers arranged a makeshift stretcher and carried the injured man on their shoulders for around four kilometres through muddy and uneven paths to reach the nearest accessible road point. From there, he was shifted in an ambulance to the Dasmantpur Community Health Centre, where he was admitted for treatment.

Locals said such incidents are not new for Paduguda village. Due to lack of proper road connectivity, villagers often face immense hardship during medical emergencies. Patients, elderly persons and pregnant women are frequently carried manually for several kilometres before they can access transportation to hospitals.

Villagers alleged that despite repeated appeals and complaints to the local administration over the years, no concrete action has been taken to provide a pucca road to the village. The recurring problem has triggered resentment among residents, who accused authorities of neglecting basic infrastructure needs in the remote tribal-dominated region.

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The villagers have demanded immediate construction of an all-weather road to Paduguda village to ensure timely medical assistance and improve connectivity for the local population.