Tribal hamlets in A.P. celebrate ‘freedom from darkness’, 78 years after Independence

Residents of remote tribal hamlets in ASR district celebrate electrification after 78 years, ending struggles with wildlife encounters.

February 13, 2025, would go down as a memorable day for residents of Buriga and China Konela — two remote, inaccessible tribal hamlets in Rompelli panchayat of Anantagiri mandal in ASR district. Almost 78 years after Independence, the narrow lanes of the villages were illuminated by electric street lights installed by the government.

Ecstatic tribal villagers, young and old alike, celebrated the momentous occasion with a traditional ‘Dhimsa’ dance. The celebrations continued late into the night. Their joy was evident as they recalled their struggles over the years due to lack of electricity, and expressed their gratitude to all those who had helped in the electrification of their village.

“We have finally got our freedom from the dark, 77 years after Independence. Our struggles in the last few years at the Zilla Parishad Standing Committee meetings in Visakhapatnam, at the ASR District Collector’s Office and making several rounds to government offices, have yielded fruit,” says Konaparthi Simhachalam of China Konela.

In the absence of electricity, the villagers were forced to stay indoors after dark for fear of encountering wild boars and bears, which frequent the region.

Festivals and weddings held in the night would be celebrated by lighting large piles of firewood. Villagers recounted several instances of big cats like leopards and even tigers attacking their cattle in the night.

“We used to trek across two hills to reach Vonija village of Mentada mandal in Vizianagaram. We used to carry firewood torches to trek across the hills at night. We used to come across leopards and bears frequently back then,” said Somula Veerayya, 60, a resident of Buriga.

“In the absence of electricity, girls from the plains and foothill villages are reluctant to marry boys from the hilltop hamlets, many of which do not have power supply. This is because they cannot charge their mobile phones or even watch TV,” says Somula Appalaraju of Buriga.