Officialdom causing hardships in AP speaker’s constituency

There is no road access to Donkada. On Wednesday morning, Mary, along with the baby, had to go to the hospital owing to medical challenges. Her family and villagers transported her by doli for three kilometres via Puratalamma Chinthachettu. There, her family’s attempt to call an ambulance proved futile. They took a private auto to reach the hospital.

This is not an isolated incident. Last year, three women – Tambali Jyoti, Lakshmi Tambali and Seetha – endured similar hardships, highlighting the unresolved issue of road access to their villages.

This is despite Panchayat Raj department sanctioning ₹1.35 crore a road in October 2023 for a road from Karaka R&B Road to Donkada. However, delays in forest clearances and procedural hurdles have continued to stall construction of the road for nearly one-and-a-half years.

Affected villagers even approached Anakapalle district collector Vijaya Krishnan in January and submitted a petition for the road. The official stand now is that though clearance from the forest department has been received, election-related work has delayed construction of the road.

Community elders Konda Tamali Sattibabu and Marri Pothuraj have sought immediate action at least now for laying of the road. They say people of the tribal community will organise protests at the District Collector's office if roadwork does not begin within a week.