Anakapalli Tribals Travel 10 km for Rations

Visakhapatnam: Residents of Pashuvulabandha village in Auvuruwada panchayat, V. Madugula mandal, Anakapalli district, continue to endure severe hardships due to the absence of road connectivity. Eight families of the PVTG Kondu tribal community living on Samalamma Hill are forced to travel 10 kilometres on horseback to reach the ration depot at the Auvuruwada panchayat centre near Peddasarada village. Even pensioners in the village, despite ill health, must rely on horses to collect their monthly pensions.

The lack of basic amenities has already driven twelve families to migrate, leaving only eight households behind. Those who remain survive by cultivating sorghum, ginger, and turmeric on the hill and transporting their produce to markets on horseback. Villagers lament that despite living in the era of “Digital India,” they are compelled to continue journeys reminiscent of a bygone age. They recall staging protests, including carrying a doli to Zilla Parishad meetings in Visakhapatnam, and submitting petitions to the Deputy Chief Minister representing Madugula constituency. Although an estimate for a road was prepared two years ago, funds have not been sanctioned.

Local residents Sridhar Kameswara Rao, Sedari Apparao, and Sedari Naidu stressed that road connectivity is essential to improve their lives. They urged the government to act without further delay.

CPM district executive committee member K. Govinda Rao warned that if road facilities are not provided to Pashuvulabandha and Jeelugullova tribal villages, a protest march on horseback will be staged at the collector’s office. Girijana Sangam leaders Gemmili Vasu and S. Bhavani, a state executive committee member of the Vyvasaya Karmoka Sangham, have also demanded immediate action to address the plight of these communities.