Sundargarh, 26th Aug 2025: A signboard at the roadside reads: “Open Defecation Free Village Sanbalichua welcomes you. We are committed to keeping our village clean.”
The board suggests there is habitation nearby where everyone uses toilets and cleanliness is maintained.
But the reality is different. Sanbalichua, officially declared a revenue village, exists only in government records. There is no human habitation, not even a single family living there.
And Sanbalichua is not alone — in Sundargarh district, there are 49 such deserted villages. Some have been granted revenue village status despite being uninhabited, while others were abandoned due to mining operations, displacement, or lack of livelihood opportunities that forced people to migrate elsewhere.
About 43 km from Sundargarh headquarters, along the Sundargarh–Hemgiri road under Duduka revenue circle, lies Sanbalichua. According to official records, it has 42 khatian (land records), with land reserved for cremation grounds and marketplaces. But field verification reveals a shocking fact — all 42 khatians are registered in the names of outsiders, and there is no house or resident in the village.
As per government data, Sundargarh district has 1,762 revenue villages, of which 49 are officially declared uninhabited. These include villages in Sundargarh, Balisankara, Lathikata, and Nuagaon blocks. Similarly, two such villages exist in Kuarmunda block.
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