Archive · 31 Aug 2026
Umaria Villagers Plant Paddy to Protest 30-Year Road Wait
People in Karigadhari village have waited about 30 years for a proper road.
The path they use is muddy and difficult to travel on.
During rain, motorcycles can slip and people can get hurt.
Children, older people and other residents also struggle to move around.
To show how bad the road is, villagers planted rice plants in the mud.
Women, children and elderly people joined the protest.
A video of the protest spread on social media.
Officials said they would send an engineer to inspect the road and prepare a construction estimate.
Residents of Karigadhari village planted paddy on a muddy road stretch after waiting 30 years for a motorable road.
The protest involved women, children, young people and elderly residents of the Madhya Pradesh village.
Villagers said rain makes the route dangerous, causing two-wheelers to skid and injuring riders.
Residents said children recently had to cross a river to reach their homes.
Karkeli Janpad Panchayat CEO Himanshu Singh said an engineer would inspect the site before construction begins.
- Who
- Residents of Karigadhari village, including women, children, young people and elderly villagers, staged the protest; Karkeli Janpad Panchayat CEO Himanshu Singh responded.
- What
- Villagers planted paddy on a muddy, unusable road stretch to protest the lack of a motorable road.
- When
- The protest video went viral over the two days before the report; officials said they would inspect the site soon.
- Where
- Karigadhari village under Manikpuri gram panchayat in Umaria district's Bandhavgarh Assembly constituency, Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- Residents said they had waited 30 years and faced dangerous, difficult travel, especially during rains.
Villagers' concerns
Officials' response
Road neglect
Villagers' concerns
Residents said the muddy stretch has remained their only route since their birth and that repeated pleas to authorities had not produced a road.
Officials' response
Karkeli Janpad Panchayat CEO Himanshu Singh said officials had seen the protest video and would begin the process after a site inspection and estimate.
Reason for the protest
Villagers' concerns
Villagers said the road is so difficult to use that they planted crops on it to draw attention to their situation.
Officials' response
Officials did not directly address the villagers' allegations but stated that an engineer would assess the site and that the road would be constructed soon.
- Village
- Karigadhari, under Manikpuri gram panchayat
- District
- Umaria, Madhya Pradesh
- Road wait
- Villagers said they have waited 30 years for a motorable road.
- Protest action
- Residents planted paddy saplings on the muddy stretch.
- Travel problems
- Two-wheelers frequently skid during rains, while children and elderly people face commuting difficulties.
- Official response
- Karkeli Janpad Panchayat CEO Himanshu Singh said an engineer would inspect the site and construction would follow an estimate.
- Related incident
- Residents said a video recently showed children crossing a river to reach their homes.