Anakapalle: Tribal Villages in the Dark for Last 3 Months, Seek Light
“We are living in the dark. We eat by the light of traditional torches and at night, we are surrounded by forest,” said protest leaders Gamemili Apparao, Vanthala Chinna Gammidi and Chilukamma.
Visakhapatnam: Two remote villages -- Neellubandha and Sompurambandha in Anakapalle district, have been plunged into darkness for the past three months due to a repeatedly malfunctioning transformer. Frustrated by the lack of response from electricity authorities, villagers have staged a protest with ‘Kagadalu’ (torches), demanding the installation of a new transformer and immediate restoration of power.
These villages, home to 40 members of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) Kondu community, fall under Arla Panchayat in Ravikamatham and Rolugunta mandals. Electricity was first brought to their houses just six months ago under the JANMAN scheme, a moment they celebrated as a step toward inclusion. But the joy was short-lived, the ageing transformer failed, and despite repeated complaints, officials have only promised repairs “once a replacement is available.”
“We are living in the dark. We eat by the light of traditional torches and at night, we are surrounded by forest,” said protest leaders Gamemili Apparao, Vanthala Chinna Gammidi and Chilukamma. Their demonstration, marked by traditional torches, is a plea for dignity and basic infrastructure. If authorities continue to delay, villagers say they will escalate their protest to the Divisional Engineer’s office in Narsipatnam.
