In Jehanabad, Bihar, villagers are breaking a new road and taking concrete for personal use. The viral video has sparked debate on misuse of public property and poverty. This incident reflects the tension between development and ground reality.
Some such pictures have emerged from Bihar, which you will be surprised to see. In villages like Odan Bigha of Jehanabad district, people are breaking the newly constructed roads and taking the mortar and concrete to their homes. Its video is going viral on social media and has sparked debate. It is clearly visible in the video that men, women and elderly people are all working together to uproot the slabs of wet concrete and half-built road. They are carrying away this debris in sacks and pots. It is being told that they are using it to build their personal houses.
These video clips spread like wildfire on Instagram and Facebook in Bihar, following which people reacted sharply. Many condemned such misuse of public infrastructure built with taxpayers’ money. He says that wasting development works like this is a waste of government resources. At the same time, some people also pointed out the compulsion behind such actions. He believes that extreme poverty and the struggle to make ends meet often forces people to do things that go against social norms.
What did people say…
These viral videos have not only generated anger but have also raised some uncomfortable questions. These questions are whether the needs of survival outweigh civic duties? While there is criticism of damage to government property, these incidents also highlight the serious problem of housing shortage for people in rural areas.
Now there is pressure on officials to stop the misuse of infrastructure and also to solve the deeper social problems that are forcing people to do so. The online debate is still ongoing, highlighting the tension between development goals and ground reality in Bihar.