Tribal Villages in Anakapalli District Continue Struggling for Basic Services
Community members are urging the government to establish a GCC ration depot in Jaggampeta to restore accessibility and dignity.
Visakhapatnam: Tribal communities across several highland villages in Anakapalli district, including Jogampeta, Pedagaruvu, Rayapadu, Rochu, Panuko, Tatiparthi, Gangampeta, Neredu Banda, Z. Jogampeta, Ajaypuram, Kadagadda, and Bangaru Bandalu, are facing severe hardships in accessing essential services, particularly ration, mobile connectivity and childcare infrastructure.
Z. Jogampeta is central to all these villages. The 612 ration card holders have to walk nearly 13 kilometres to reach the Kalyanalowa GCC ration depot located in Ravikamatham mandal to collect their monthly supplies for sustenance.
According to CPI(M) leader K. Govinda Rao, rations had previously been distributed directly in villages. However, since the NDA coalition government assumed office, the system has been dismantled. Tribal residents have to trek long to collect rations, often carrying heavy loads on their heads and shoulders during the return journey.
Community members are urging the government to establish a GCC ration depot in Jaggampeta to restore accessibility and dignity.
Mobile connectivity remains unreliable across these villages. Signals are accessible in only one or two isolated spots, as most cell towers in the area are inactive. Vanthula Chiranjeevi, a resident, highlights the urgent need to activate all cell towers in the area to ensure basic communication and access to digital services.
The region’s childcare infrastructure is equally strained. A single Anganwadi centre in Z. Jogampeta currently serves all 11 surrounding villages, including Pedagaruvu, Rayapadu, Rochu, Panuko, Tatiparthi, Gangampeta, Neredu Banda, Ajaypuram, Kadagadda, and Bangaru Bandalu. This limited coverage undermines early childhood nutrition and maternal support in a region already grappling with systemic neglect.
Residents, such as Pangi Bhaskara Rao from Ajaypuram, describe the physical strain of transporting rations using makeshift carts across rough terrain. They want establishment of an anganwadi centre, highlighting a broader demand for basic infrastructure and recognition of their rights.
