Anakapalli Adivasis Ride Horses to Protest Lack of Road Connectivity
Road connectivity remains elusive although electricity has been extended to the villages after the NDA coalition government came to power.
Visakhapatnam: Tribal people of remote villages in Madugula and Chodavaram assembly constituencies rode horses from Pashuvulubanda village to Bangaru Bandalu BT road via Jeelugulova protesting against lack of road connectivity to their villages inhabited by the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
There are eight PVTG families residing in Pashuvulubanda village of Avaruvada panchayat in V. Madugula mandal, while 13 Konda families live in Jeelugulova, Sompuram Bandalu, and Samalamma Konda of Ravikamatham mandal. These families comprising 120 people have remained isolated due to the absence of proper road connectivity.
Residents of these villages recall the deaths of Sedari Venkatrao and Korra Baburao, as they could not reach the medical facilities in time due to lack of a road. Pregnant women and the ill are still carried on dolis (stretchers) for three kilometres across steep hills to reach the Bangaru Bandalu BT road, before they can reach the Kothakota Primary Health Centre.
Road connectivity remains elusive although electricity has been extended to the villages after the NDA coalition government came to power. Though the Panchayat Raj department has prepared an estimate of ₹2.1 crore for a three-kilometre metal road from Jeelugulova to Pashuvulubanda, the road has not yet been sanctioned. Villagers thus have to depend on horses for collecting ration rice and pensions from the government outlets.
CPM leader K. Govinda Rao, along with PVTG Madugula constituency president Sedari Kameshwara Rao and other local leaders, joined the protest to amplify the need for the road.
The protesters also drew attention to the stalled road projects under the government’s Palle Panduga programme. Roads had been sanctioned in December 2024, including a seven-kilometre stretch from Arla to Pithri Gadda, a three-kilometre road from Y.B. Patnam to Peddagaru via Lusingi, and another three-kilometre stretch from Z. Jogampeta to Neredu Banda.
Chodavaram MLA K.S.N. Raju inaugurated these roads. However, rains have washed away the newly formed roads at several places, leaving large potholes.
Govinda Rao criticised the government for spending crores on tourism festivals in the combined Visakhapatnam district while neglecting the basic needs of tribal communities. “Our people are forced to ride horses and carry patients on stretchers, while funds are diverted for tourists to celebrate,” he pointed out.