Moodubelle: Villagers join hands to clear mounds of mud and dirt from the road junction

By Eugene Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 17 January 2011: This was not for the first time that the villagers, rickshaw owners and drivers, shop-keepers and Moodubelle Melpete Friends had collectively joined hands to clear the mud and dirt that have been not only an eyesore but also causing inconvenience to pedestrians and vehicles at the junction in front of the main gate of the Church. They had done it twice earlier and once it was reported in Bellevision last year.

 

On Sunday, 16th January 2011, from about 2 pm till late in the evening around 30 concerned villagers, especially the rickshaw owners and drivers, shop-keepers and Moodubelle Melpete Friends collectively began their mission to clear the mounds of mud that had gathered due to the flow of rain water during the extended rainy season to the low lying four way junction. They collected spades, pickaxes, baskets and water-pipe to dig and clear the road of the unwanted mud and wash it clean so that the road would be even and would facilitate smooth flow of traffic, enable the people to walk easily and spare the neighbouring shops and people from the trouble of dust.

 

 

When asked as to what prompted them to take up this mission, Varadraj Kamath of Moodubelle Melpete Friends and himself a shop-keeper at the corner of the junction said that he and other affected people have been representing to the Grama Panchayat authorities regarding the inconvenience that was being caused by the mounds of mud and dirt and have been requesting them to clear it. However, he said that as there was no response either from the Panchayat authorities or any other political parties, they decided to join their hands and do the work of clearing the mounds of mud and levelling the junction by themselves. Around 25 to 30 volunteers  participated in this work which shows that if the authorities do not respond to the problems of the villagers, they can solve some of their problems by themselves in this manner.