A heart-wrenching picture of poverty has emerged from the mining region of Odisha’s Keonjhar district, where a couple has been spending their days and nights under a flyover, struggling to survive without even the most basic necessities of life.

The distressing scene has been reported from beneath a flyover along National Highway-520 in Baneikala area of Keonjhar district. Muna Munda and his wife, Jaamuna Munda, have reportedly been living under the overbridge for the last three years, using a tarpaulin sheet as shelter.

According to reports, Muna had started working in a hotel after the death of his father. Later, while working at a crusher unit in Chandikhol, he met Jamuna and eventually married her. After marriage, the couple continued working and somehow managed to sustain themselves. They had built a small hut along the roadside and were residing there.

However, their lives took a difficult turn when the hut was demolished during a road expansion project. Since then, with no alternative arrangement and nowhere else to go, the couple has been forced to take refuge under the flyover, where they continue to live in extremely difficult conditions beneath a makeshift shelter.

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Reports further suggest that Muna and Jamuna have remained deprived of various government welfare benefits as they do not possess Aadhaar cards, making it difficult for them to access assistance and rehabilitation schemes.

Responding to the matter, Executive Officer of Joda Municipality, Setwapadma Dhal said that the couple would be provided housing once the AHP and ARS housing projects are completed.

The incident once again highlights the harsh realities of poverty and displacement, raising concerns over the plight of vulnerable people living on the margins despite ongoing development projects.