With Road Laid, Ravikamatham Adivasi Seek Bus Services, Mobile Tower
Villagers are demanding a bus route from Visakhapatnam to Pata Kotnabelli via Chinna Pasili for the convenience of students and commuters to Vizag: Reports
VISAKHAPATNAM: While welcoming laying of the 13-km stretch of black-topped road linking Chinna Pasili to the T. Arjapuram B.N. Road, tribal communities of seven villages in Ravikamatham mandal of Anakapalli district have demanded bus services along the road.
The road has finally been laid after protests by the Girijana Sangham over years. Villagers of Pata Kotnabelli said while the road has eased access for those with vehicles, the daily struggles of other residents remain due to a lack of reliable road transport and communication facilities.
“When will the bus service be introduced,” one of the villagers asked. The residents say absence of bus services forces them to plan a full day for medical treatment in Visakhapatnam. Students and others have to spend considerable money to reach their destinations in private auto-rickshaws.
Villagers are demanding a bus route from Visakhapatnam to Pata Kotnabelli via Chinna Pasili for the convenience of students and commuters to Vizag.
They also have to face issues due to lack of mobile connectivity. This hampers their access to ration rice, prevents families with children using Anganwadi scheme-related applications, and obstructs the effective implementation of energy-related welfare schemes.
To highlight their demand for bus services and a mobile tower in the area, the tribal people organised a protest rally on the newly built road. Adivasi leaders Padi Bennayya, Padi Gouri, and CPM leader K. Govinda Rao led the protest.