Even as the state is inching its way into Maoist-affected Saranda region, in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district, with a development plan, rural governments (elected village-level panchayats) are being forced to make do without offices.

The state had held its first-ever panchayat elections in 2010. Saranda villages were scheduled to get panchayat bhavans around that time — a roof for the elected representatives of the villagers to carry out their activities. However, the construction was abandoned over a year ago, leaving behind skeletal structures of brick and concrete that are wasting away.

In at least two of the six panchayats under the Saranda Development Plan, Digha and Chottanagra, the half-constructed buildings stand as sore reminders of government apathy for the villagers.

A Chottanagra villager, who did not want to be named, said: "The building has been standing like this for over a year now. We never knew whether there was any intention of completing it even when the work was on. The foundation was dug and abandoned for months. Pillars were then erected and work stopped for a couple of months before the officials returned and hurriedly put up the walls and the roof, before abandoning work completely."

Making things worse is an adjoining building, in the same state but only bigger. This was to be an eight-bed hospital but construction,  started in mid-2007, has been abandoned here as well.

The half-constructed panchayat bahavan in Digha also bears signs of being weather worn, with moss eating into the concrete in places.

Asked about the incomplete work at these sites, West Singhbum deputy commissioner K Srinivasan said, "The work should have been completed by now but has instead become an example of how graft erodes governance. The government engineer involved in the project siphoned off funds. He was later arrested and an inquiry was ordered. But the government had already released the funds for construction.

“So it (government) is in a bind as it can't release further funds on an overhead that has received all required funds on paper."

But, Srinivasan added, the administration is trying to see “how best we can work around the situation and deliver to the people what is rightfully theirs".

While the truth of Saranda is that the government desperately needs people's trust, such corruption and consequent delivery failures are eroding at the inroads Saranda Development Plan is trying to make.