Bhubaneswar, Sept. 23 -- Phulbani: Despite the tall claims of Odisha government about welfare policies, people in several parts of the State are still victims of sheer apathy and are deprived of basic transport and communication facilities.

The sorry state of affairs in Odisha once again cropped up when hundreds of villagers, including women, children and elderly people, were seen crossing a river with the help of electric cables in Bindhapada area of K. Nuagaon in Kandhamal district on a regular basis for their daily needs. As per reports, five villages in the region are forced to risk their lives to cross the river on electric cables on a daily basis in the absence of a bridge.

The villagers claim that though they have approached the ...