Frustrated by nearly a decade of incomplete road construction, residents of Maruki village in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district have made an unusual appeal to Union home minister Amit Shah — provide helicopters if roads cannot be built.
The demand, made in a letter by villagers from the remote tribal settlement in Bastar region, has gone viral on social media and drawn attention to the continuing infrastructure challenges in areas once heavily affected by Maoist violence.
In the letter, villagers said that if authorities are unable to complete the long-pending road connecting their village, they should at least arrange helicopter transport during medical emergencies.
The village sarpanch said residents have spent the last 10 years seeking completion of the road project but have received only assurances.
Villagers alleged that construction work had begun years ago but was abandoned midway after contractors dug pits for culverts and bridges. They said the unfinished stretch is now filled with gravel, potholes and dangerous patches that become nearly impassable during the monsoon.
Located deep inside Sukma’s hilly interior, Maruki remains cut off from basic services due to poor connectivity. Residents said medical emergencies often become life-threatening because patients must be carried on cots for several kilometres to reach the nearest motorable road before being taken to Gadiras hospital.
A resident identified as Suka said even collecting ration is difficult and expensive.
“We have to walk nearly 11 kilometres for ration. If someone gives us a tractor ride, they charge Rs 100. The government gives us free ration, but we still spend money just to collect it,” he said.
While Maoist violence had earlier been blamed for stalled development projects in the region, villagers are now questioning why basic infrastructure remains absent despite repeated official claims that Bastar and Sukma are steadily moving towards becoming free of Left-Wing Extremism.
The villagers’ demand for helicopters, though sarcastic, reflects growing frustration over years of neglect and has sparked discussion online and within administrative circles about the gap between official development claims and conditions on the ground in remote tribal areas.
