Ajayapuram Tribal Village Protests Lack of LPG Access
The demonstration was led by Vanthala Jaggarao, Pangi Sriram, Pangi Ramesh, and others.
Visakhapatnam:Tribal residents of Ajayapuram village in Ravikamatham mandal of Anakapalli district staged a unique protest on Monday, highlighting their struggle for access to cooking gas. The protesters lit a traditional firewood stove and placed a gas cylinder beside it, raising slogans demanding immediate action. The demonstration was led by Vanthala Jaggarao, Pangi Sriram, Pangi Ramesh, and others.
Villagers said that while a Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC) sub-depot near Z. Jogampeta supplies rice to ten tribal villages, they must travel nearly 25 km to Ravikamatham to procure LPG cylinders, adding to their financial burden amid rising fuel costs.
Despite submitting a memorandum to the mandal tahsildar seeking extension of gas supply services to Jogampeta, no action has been taken so far, they alleged.
The protesters demanded the launch of LPG distribution at Z. Jogampeta and provision of ‘Ujjwala’ connections to all Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) habitations.
Supporting the agitation, CPM leader K. Govinda Rao urged authorities to address the issue without delay, stating that the protest reflects growing frustration over lack of basic infrastructure in tribal areas.
