All roads may not lead to Rome, but they do lead to development wherever they are laid. And while national and state highways connect different parts of the nation, rural roads play the crucial role of connecting people to a plethora of opportunity. Suddenly villages come closer to each other, schools are at a cycling distance away, goods can arrive seamlessly, livelihoods begin to bloom and land prices move towards a boom.

That’s what happened at Niz Pokowa village, in Nalbari district, when a 2.376-km stretch was laid through Asian Development Bank funding in the lagging State of Assam. “It has been three years since we got this road running through our village and, yes, it has changed the scenario totally,” says 35-year-old Ranjit Baishya, who works in a rice mill that started after the completion of the road. He remembers the kachcha road they had earlier and how one hard rain was enough to immobilise the entire population.

“ Ab teen gaon ke log hamari mill pe atte hain (our mill today attracts business from three surrounding villages), says a co-worker, Annaram Burman, who introduces the proprietor’s family — 70-year-old Anjali Baishya and her daughter-in-law Binu, aged 32. The male family members are out for the day. Anjali says it was difficult to set up the venture initially, but the road ensured customers and prompted State Bank of India to give them a loan of ₹6 lakh. Now, there is only growth to look forward to.

For 60-year-old pull-cart owner Kumud Dutta, the road has doubled his income and offers easier mobility. “I can push the cart in half the time and carry more goods than before.” Kirana shops have multiplied along the road.

“I turned the front of my home into a commercial area some years ago, but had few customers. Even to bring goods from Nalbari was a big effort,” says Bipul Kumar Sharma. Today the 38-year-old shopkeeper gets customers from 15 villages around the area.

More importantly, the village has become a hub of sorts for poultry farmers. A host of young men have been approached by broiler company Sona, which supplies them chicks and collects the grown chickens, paying ₹7 for each kg. “The cycle of 40 days is very lucrative. The company offers this business model only in villages with road access,” says 38-year-old Dhiraj Dutta, who rears chicken in his backyard.

Maintained by the Public Works Department, the road leads to a vibrant village square, where shops do brisk business morning and evening. “We now need speed breakers as there is too much traffic,” says 62-year-old Pulin Choudhary, contrasting this with the scenario from his college days. “We used to trudge through a foot-and-a-half of water on this same path to reach our classes.”

Pedagogy is a breeze now, as the smiling Class VIII student Rimpi Ahmed gets ready to cycle down from Pokowa High School to her village Chandkuchi. “When I was younger and there was no road it took one hour. Now I reach home in 10 minutes,” she says.

Women who earn through weaving, a home industry here, say they have found a better market. “Women self-help groups here produce for the Ambedkar Haaste Shilpa Yojana,” says Bimal Das, member of the Pokowa Grameen Vikas Sanstha. “We earn a few thousand rupees every month,” says Bharati Saud, Secretary of the Hiya self-help group, displaying their weaving products.

Niz Pokowa is not the only village where paved access has changed lives. The presentation by MC Boro, Commissioner and Special Secretary, PWRD, reveals that efforts are on across the State. While 66 per cent of its roads are in rural areas, in 2001 only 12 per cent had long-lasting bitumen surface. In 2015 the percentage has risen to 53, with another 7 per cent under upgradation. That’s the way to go.

The writer travelled to Assam on the invitation of Asian Development Bank

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