With No Power, Dabbalapadu Still Relies on Kagadalu Torches

Ten Kondadora tribal families continue to live on this remote hilltop in Rompalli panchayat in Ananthagiri mandal, struggling without access to power, drinking water, or healthcare.

Though Dabbalapadu is officially listed in revenue records, it remains disconnected from the power grid. A solar plant was built in 2013–14, yet no electricity has ever reached the village. Residents still rely on kagadalu for light, enduring twelve hours of darkness every day. The village’s elevation and isolation have left it neglected, even as neighbouring settlements benefit from solar power and installed poles.

Villagers such as Kosuru Appanna Dora, Kosuru Gangulu, and Kosuru Lakshman say their community has been forgotten. The absence of drinking water facilities has worsened the situation, forcing residents to fetch water from a nearby spring.

Medical emergencies require a seven-kilometre journey by doli to the nearest village at the foot of the hill, as there are no roads leading to Dabbalapadu. Somila Appalaraju, a member of Rompalli Panchayat’s second ward, said the lack of infrastructure has driven away half the population. Of the original thirty families, only ten remain — not because conditions are livable, but because they have nowhere else to go.

The villagers are pleading for electricity, drinking water, roads, and access to medical care. They have urged ITDA Project Officer T. Sripooja to visit Dabbalapadu and address their long-pending grievances.