Condition of roads made worse by Anakapalle granite lorries
Visakhapatnam : Tribal residents of Anakapalle district staged a half-naked ‘Doli Yatra’ on Wednesday to seek resumption of the stalled road works.
The 3-km march began at Old Kotni Billi in the Ravikamatam mandal and ended at Moda Kondammagudi. The participants in semi-nude attire highlighted their sad plight due to the long delay in road maintenance work, despite fund allocations in 2023.
Leaders of the Girijana Sangham, Padi Beniyya and S. Valasaiah spoke about the poor condition of the road connecting Chinnapasili village to T Ajjapuram. The BN road, which has been dug and left incomplete, has also suffered massive damage from the regular plying of heavyweight granite-laden trucks. These caused deep potholes that make it impossible for even ambulances to access the area.
When someone becomes ill in Old Kotni Billi, the only way to reach a medical facility is by carrying them in a ‘doli,’ a makeshift stretcher, over treacherous terrain.
According to the Girijana Sangham, the government had sanctioned `6.98 crore on October 30, 2023 for a 14-km bituminous road linking Chinnapasili to Errabandha, K Gadapalem, K Kotnabelli, P Kotnabelli, Ramanna Dorapalem, Dolavanipalem and T Arjapuram.
This project was expected to benefit around 8,000 people. Work commenced in January 2024. Gravel was laid for the first 6km stretch. However, excavation done on the subsequent 2km distance from P Kotnabelli to Ramanna Dorapalem was left abandoned. The movement of granite trucks over this stretch has exacerbated the damage, turning the road into a hazardous path.
In response to queries, engineering officials cited unpaid bills as the reason for the work stoppage.
This is not the first time that the region's road infrastructure has failed. In 2008, a BT road was constructed for `2.60 crore. The presence of five granite quarries led to heavy lorry traffic, which rapidly degraded the road, making it impossible for ambulances to reach Old Kotni Billi.
Another road, built in 2008 from Chinnapasili to T Ajjapuram for `2.90 crore, has since deteriorated into a muddy track due to quarry closures and lack of maintenance. As a result, tribal residents must now walk up to 15km to access basic services at the village secretariat.
The community is seeking the immediate resumption and completion of the abandoned road work. They have threatened to escalate their protest by staging an on-doli demonstration at the Anakapalle district collector’s office.
CPM leader K. Govinda Rao has extended the party’s support for the agitation.
