Red Volunteers of the CPM, along with residents of East Midnapore’s Khejuri, took up the repair of a 5km stretch of rural roads on Friday after repeated pleas of villagers for the renovation in the past several years did not yield any result.

“We are at our wit’s end. We have been telling panchayat authorities for years to repair the roads but to no avail,” said Dipankar Mondal, a resident of Pakuria village in Khejuri.

The roads have become unmotorable and walking on them is a challenge for villagers with its condition further worsening with the arrival of the monsoon. The plight of the crater-ridden roads finally attracted the attention of the Red Volunteers who have been working in the area to help pandemic-hit families with doctors, oxygen cylinders, medicines, groceries and even cooked food.

“The Pakuria-Mansinghber and Pakuria-Kasaria roads are the only options to get to towns or the city. During the pandemic, authorities have no right to ignore its condition,” said CPM activist and Red Volunteer Zakir Hossain, 25, as he was busy trying to fill up a pothole on the battered stretch.

“We were unaware about the condition of the road until we came here,” he added.

On Friday, Hossain was part of the team of around two dozen people who began impromptu repairs using gravel and crushed brick to fill the gaping craters on the damaged stretches.

CPM activist Ratneswar Dalui said they witnessed and experienced the trouble of negotiating on the damaged stretches when they had to travel in the region to provide relief to patients suffering from Covid-19.

“Forget an ambulance, we faced problems commuting on the stretches on two-wheelers,” said Dalui.

Appreciating the role of the Red Volunteers, Mondal said: “We are thankful that at least these youths are by our side in such difficult times.”

Asked, Khejuria gram panchayat member Uttam Das said he was aware of the “years old” problem and claimed a lack of funds had delayed the issue. “We even have permission for filling stone chips but we have not got the funds,” said Das.

President of Khejuri block 2 panchayat samity and Trinamul leader Asim Mondal he would try to ensure that concrete roads were laid on the damaged stretches once the monsoon was over.

CPM leader Himanshu Das vouched for basic citizens’ rights saying the matter had come to authorities’ attention because of the endeavour of his party and the Red Volunteers.