"I will cast vote based on water and school issues in our village," says resident of Chhattisgarh's Bhojtola

Rajnandgaon (Chhattisgarh) [India], April 25 (ANI): As the Lok Sabha elections approach, residents of Bhojtola village voice their concerns regarding critical issues such as education, infrastructure, and healthcare. From the persistent challenges of water scarcity and incomplete infrastructure projects to the lack of accessible education beyond the 10th standard, the villagers emphasise the urgent need for solutions to improve their quality of life. The villagers highlight their priorities and expectations from the candidates vying for their votes.

Viraj Kumar, a woman from Bhojtola village said, "I will go and cast my vote on April 26. I will cast my vote based on water and school issues in our village. This problem has been for many days now, but till now no one has solved this problem. I will cast my vote for the candidate who will be able to solve this problem. In this village, there is a problem with everything. There is a sewage issue as well. There will be mud everywhere during rainy days."
Kismat Ram Sahu, another villager from Bhojtala village said, "There are problems in the village. Our Shivnath River project was started after so many struggles after Holi, but again the work was stopped and it was left incomplete. The water level in the river has also decreased."
"Now Mohla has become a district, but it's very far from the village. So, kids are facing problems in going to college and studying. Children go to Mohla to study which is around 15 kilometres away from the village. They either go on a cycle or motorcycle. There are no colleges in our village," he added.
Manoj Kumar Sahu, another villager from Bhojtala village said, "My issue is that we have a high school in our village. Many young people in our villages are deprived of education after the 10th. They need education."
"So there should be schools in our village at least till 12th standard. A hostel must be opened for children from class 8th to 12th so that they can stay there and get their education. There is a shortage of doctors in our area. We have a primary health centre but there is no doctor there. Only nurses are there to treat. There is a need for MBBS doctors," he added.
"Many students go to Chowki and live in hostels, but for the rest of the children who come from other backward class (OBC) backgrounds, there is no hostel facility. Mostly it is given to Adivasi people. So, OBC people either go on a cycle or take a lift to Mahola and get their education from there," he highlighted.
Raju Yadav, another villager from Bhojtola said, "I will cast my vote based on development. There are many problems in the village. At present the demand for a high school building has been going on for a long time and it has not been built yet, it has been 10 to 12 years. The demand continues but the government is not listening. We have schools here till the 10th. After that students have to go to Mahola to get further study."
A culvert was being constructed here on the Maharashtra border which has been a demand for the last 10-12 years. The work started but it is stopped due to some reason we are unaware of. The main issue is of culvert. It connects Chhattisgarh to Maharashtra. There is a Mandi over there. So, farmers face a lot of problems in transporting paddy crops," Raju added
Birendra Kumar Sahi, another villager from Bhojtala village said, 'There is a problem with sewage, water goes everywhere, and that work has not been done. There is a water shortage problem, as well as electricity issues. We haven't had electricity for the past 2-3 days. When we do have electricity, it gets cut frequently. We also have problems with schools. Children have to go elsewhere to study after the 10th standard." (ANI)