Tribals demand polling booths in their hamlets

Anakapalli: For quite a long time, tribals of Lingapuram have been waiting for a polling booth in their hamlet located in Narsipatnam municipality in Anakapalli district.

Expressing their ordeals, the tribals here mention that they need to trek not less than 8-km to visit the polling booth located in Krishnapuram which is the nearest point for them to exercise their franchise during elections.

The Adivasis lament that they have been deprived of their rights and their just demands are yet to be conceded. “Even in the last polls, we had to face difficulties to cast our votes as it involved trekking for kilometres in the scorching sun,” the tribals lamented.

Also, tribals belonging to 19 villages at Cheemalapadu panchayat in Ravikamatham mandal face a similar challenge. They mention that they have to walk a minimum of 10-km to exercise their franchise.

Laying emphasis on providing convenience for tribals, district honorary president of the AP Girijana Sangam Fifth Schedule Sadhana Committee K Govinda Rao appealed to the authorities concerned to facilitate polling booths in hamlets so that tribals could avail their electoral right without trekking for hours.

Demanding the same, tribals took to streets to draw the attention of the officials. Carrying dolis (makeshift stretchers), tribal women staged a dharna in the village.

In addition to polling booths, the tribals in these hamlets mention that basic amenities continue to elude them and accessing healthcare services is still a far cry for them.