A drive through the villages scattered around the newly completed Palli-Barsur Marg (PBM), part of an arterial State Highway in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, exposes the accessibility and security challenges of people in this Naxal heartland.
PBM connects Palli village in Narayanpur district with Barsur town in Dantewada district. It cuts through Dantewada, Bijapur, Chitrakot, Narayanpur and Kondagaon Assembly constituencies.
Sadar and Mangnar villages in Bijapur constituency, on either side of the Indravati river, are among villages that stand to benefit from the PBM. While Sadar (pronounced as ‘radar’) is right next to the road, the journey to Mangnar involves traversing a few kilometres of rocky terrain, followed by a narrow and shallow stream, which is part of the Indravati river. Those who have two-wheelers or bicycles have to park them on the other side of the river. A government employee, who is one such commuter, says when the water level rises, things get much worse.
