Koppal
In a remarkable display of community spirit and social welfare, residents of Kinnal village, located 10 km from the district headquarters, have created quite a buzz with their innovative approach to ensuring civic benefits for the villagers in the backdrop of the Ganesha festival.
Instead of allocating funds for hiring a heavy-duty sound system to be used during installation and immersion of the idols, Kinnal residents have decided to contribute the same amount to repair their village roads. News about the villagers’ proactive steps has since gone viral on social media. Not just that. It’s all hands on the deck as the villagers have themselves started the repair work, putting their elected representatives and civic authority officials to shame.
Mounesh Kinnal, an office-bearer of The Hindu Mahaganapati Kamanakatte Friends Group, said Kinnal falls under the Gangavati assembly constituency, while the gram panchayat and taluk panchayat are part of the Koppal assembly seat. For years, elected representatives of Kinnal have been accused of discriminating against the interests of the village in terms of development and welfare work.
Frustrated with this inaction, the villagers decided to take matters into their own hands, utilising the funds typically spent on sound systems during the Ganesha festival to fill potholes on the village roads. The Hindu Mahaganapati Kamanakatte Friends Group has been at the forefront of this effort.
