For many villagers, it is a dream come true. Some old residents said that they had spent their whole lives trekking many kilometres to reach the nearest market for their daily necessities. “We had been hoping that a road would be built to our village ever since the country became independent. I am happy that it has at least happened in our lifetimes. Now, the future generations will not have to face the difficulties that we had to endure,” said Kalam Singh Bisht, a resident of the village.
After a wait of almost 69 years, residents of the remote village of Silpata in Chamoli district welcomed the first bus to their village. A 21-km road connecting the village with the tehsil headquarters at Adi Badri was built recently under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana.
They celebrated the arrival of a bus operated by the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation by holding a welcome ceremony in which the local women performed traditional dances. They also thanked Congress MLA from Karanprayag, Anusuya Prasad Maikhuri, for making the road possible.