Bhubaneswar, Aug. 17: The state government today decided to introduce motorcycle ambulances in the inaccessible Nagada cluster of hamlets located on the hilltop in Jajpur district.

Health minister Pratap Jena, who visited the area this afternoon, also announced that a health sub-centre would be set up at Kaliapani, 12km from Nagada, and that infrastructure at the community health centre in Sukinda would be upgraded.

Nagada was in the news last year after it was found that at least 19 children had died within six months allegedly due to malnutrition.

The children belonged to the Juang community, a primitive tribe living on the hills.

Being remote, people living in the area do not have access to various development and welfare schemes, be it health care, education or nutrition. There was no road communication to the hills and the nearest health centre was 30km away at Sukinda, a chromite mine hub.

After the media highlighted the sorry state of affairs at Nagada last year, chief minister Naveen Patnaik set up a task force headed by the revenue divisional commissioner (central) to oversee the developmental activities.

A motorable road has been laid to the Nagada hills and the health minister, who went today by road, said the ambulance service would be launched shortly.

Jena, accompanied by Jajpur district collector Ranjan Das and senior health officials, spent around one-and-a-half hours in the area, interacted with the inhabitants of Upar Nagada, Majhi Nagada and Tala Nagada hamlets and inquired whether doctors regularly visited the area to conduct health check ups.

The minister was informed that water purifiers and medicated mosquito nets had been distributed among the villagers.

Solar-powered street lights had been installed in the locality. Besides, 60 concrete houses were being built under a rural housing scheme of the government.