Seed festival at Neredu Bandha amid connectivity challenges

Marri Baburao, a 28-year-old resident of Pedalanka village in G.K Veedhi mandal of Peddavalasa panchayat, had set out on foot from Z. Jaggampeta village to attend the festival. Unfortunately, he lost consciousness during his journey. Villagers of Neredu Bandha noticed him and informed his family. Before the family could arrive, local women helped Baburao regain consciousness and offered him water. However, he could not walk. His family carried him for 2.5 kilometres in a ‘doli’ to take him home.

Neredu Bandha is a hilltop village of 80 PVTG Kondu tribals. But it lacks road connectivity, which makes it difficult for the aged and infirm to travel. In early January 2025, local MLA K.S.N. Raju announced sanction of ₹2.5 crore through MGNREGA and laid the foundation stone for constructing a road from Z Jaggampeta to Neredu Bandha. However, construction of the road has not yet commenced due to lack of permission from the forest department.

On January 22, villagers protested at the collector's office and submitted a petition to district collector Vijaya Krishnan seeking permission for road construction. Still, the permission has not come.

Neredu Bandha has 13 children, aged between 5–10 years, who have to travel six kilometres on horseback daily to reach the MPP School in Z Jogampeta. On days when their parents cannot spare the horses, children are forced to walk along the difficult hill path.

Village elders have demanded that the road be constructed immediately, so that nobody is inconvenienced. Tribal activist K. Govinda Rao has urged the district collector to expedite the granting of forest permission to alleviate the hardship of villagers.