Two Girijan hamlets sans basic facilities

Luxettipet: When the entire country is marching ahead with Vision 2020 and towards achieving total digitisation, there are two Girijan hamlets - Talamala and Manneguda – which lack even minimum facilities like drinking water, power supply, CC roads and hospitals.

As many as 60 families live in the hamlets and there are does not have LPG connections, bathroom, toilets, cots, bed sheets etc. Their condition will be worse in monsoon season.

The sewage water flows on the roads as there are no drainage canalsThe officials of Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), set up to give a boost to their development, never bothered to visit these two villages.

Girijans in Talamala prepare fencing blocks (tadikelu) while those in Manneguda makes bags with bamboo and they will get the required material from forests.

They sell these items in town once a month and return home after purchasing required essential commodities. They are forced to go to Luxettipet mandal, 15 km away from their villages for any need.

These Girijans have to travel 10 km to go Jendavenkatapur for securing PDS commodities and pensions. Sometimes they have to return empty handed if the officials were absent.

None of the residents of the villages received Indiramma house, as the dwellings launched 15 years ago were left incomplete. The tribals continue to live in half-finished houses.

There is only one primary school for the two hamlets, with only a few students attending. There is no access to health care. They have to depend on quacks and God during emergency.

Although there are PHCs, not even one health camp was conducted so far.One has to cross a stream to reach these two hamlets, as there was no proper transport facility after a culvert was washed away four years ago following heavy rains.

About Rs 90 lakh was sanctioned for the construction of a new culvert seven months ago, the work has not started as there was no forest permission.

BY Paruvella Satyanarayana