DC Impact | Power Supply Promised to Dabbalapadu Village
Villagers have been seeking electricity, water, and road access
Visakhapatnam: Dabbalapadu is a remote hilltop village in Rompalli panchayat of Anantagiri mandal in Alluri Seetharamaraju district, where eight tribal families live without electricity or basic amenities. On February 9, village elder Kosuru Appanna appealed to APEPDCL chairman and managing director Prithvitej Immadi for providing power supply to the neglected settlement.
The matter gained wider attention after being reported in Deccan Chronicle on February 10 under the headline “Dabbalapadu Villagers Demand Right to Light”. Following the report, electricity officials, including assistant engineer K. Srinivasa Rao and lineman M. Tirupati Rao, trekked six kilometres uphill to inspect the village and its defunct solar plant. The electricity staff assured that they would send a report to the district authorities.
Dabbalapadu further faces water scarcity. Women trek several kilometres across steep terrain to fetch water from a spring, which is often unsafe for consumption. Illnesses are common and villagers have to trek six kilometres downhill to Pedaraba for medical treatment.
Owing to such inconveniences, the settlement, once home to 28 tribal families, has dwindled to eight. The remaining families feel abandoned and are struggling to survive.
The remaining tribal families are demanding urgent intervention, reliable electricity, safe drinking water, and improved road connectivity. Without these basic needs being met, they fear their village may vanish entirely.
Their appeal highlights the broader plight of tribal communities in remote regions, where development is yet to reach.