Tribals demand a road to hilltop villages

Rampachodavaram (ASR District): The tribals on Saturday demanded that Alluri Sitarama Raju District Collector immediately visit the tribal villages on the hills and establish road facilities for those villages.

If the road problem in their villages is not solved by the end of this month, they said that they would take up a foot march (Padayatra) with dolies up to the Collector's office at Paderu. The villagers staged a protest in Rachakilam village on Saturday. More than 500 tribals live on the hilltop villages of Rachikilam, Madrevu and Palabanda of Penukota, Peddakota, and Jeenapadu panchayats of Anantagiri mandal in Alluri Sitarama Raju district. They depend on the forest for their livelihood.

Last month, Tamarla Rajababu (56) and Sukuru Ravulamma (58) died on the way while being transported on dolies from Rachakilam village for medical treatment, villagers said. Pinakota panchayat ward member Korra Jammulu said that a pregnant woman named Rajulamma was carried on a doli in Madrevu village and she died because of not receiving timely medical treatment. In remote and hilly villages, pregnant women, the elderly and many others lamented that they were being deprived of medicare during emergencies. They appealed to the Alluri Sitarama Raju District Collector to visit their villages. K Govinda Rao, a member of the CPM district executive, said that it was a shame that there are still tribal villages without electrification and minimal road facilities at a time when 75 years of the Swaraj is being celebrated. He asked the government to do justice to the tribals and protect their right to life.