Tribals forced to carry body in ‘doli’ up the hill due to absence of road

Tribal villagers in Madrebu forced to carry woman's body 6 km uphill due to lack of road, sparking protest.

The tribal people of Madrebu village of Pedakota panchayat of Anantagiri mandal in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district were forced to carry the body a woman for 6 km trekking up the hill, due to lack of a road to their village.

Thambali Silakaamma (60) who was suffering from swelling of her legs was taken to Devarapalli on Sunday. She was later shifted to Kotapadu Hospital from where she was later shifted and admitted to King George Hospital (KGH) in Visakhapatnam. She died on Tuesday morning.

The body was shifted to Devarapalli in an ambulance and from there in an autorickshaw to Sariya village in Jeenapadu panchayat. The tribals had to carry the body in a ‘doli’, trekking up the hill from Sariya to Madrebu village, about 6 km away.

CPI-M district secretariat member K. Govinda Rao said, “For the past one year, officials have been saying that ₹13 crore has been sanctioned for construction of a road under the Pradhan Manthri Gram Sadak Yojana. But, till date work has not started.” He said that a protest would be organised at the ASR District Collector’s office if road works were not commenced within 25 days.