Tribals of four villages in Andhra Pradesh stage protest demanding early completion of road to Jajulabandha hilltop area

Tribal villagers in ASR and Anakapalli districts protest for road completion, facing challenges in accessing basic services.

The tribal people of four villages in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district and Anakapalli district of Andhra Pradesh staged a novel protest by kneeling with folded hands, appealing to the Collector for provision of power supply and completion of the incomplete road works. Later, they undertook a 6-km padhayatra on July 21.

The tribal people of the hilltop village Jajulabandha of the Mulapeta panchayat of Koyyur mandal in ASR district have to travel via Arla village of Rolugunta mandal in Anakapalli district, through Pedha Garuvu, Pitrigedda and Neellabandha, for 6 km to reach their native village.

Around 250 people belonging to the Kondhu tribe, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), live in these four villages.

They have to walk up to 18 km to avail of medical care, get their ration supply and to go to the bank to get old age/social security pensions. CPI-M district secretariat member K. Govinda Rao said that back in 2021, the villagers raised funds, collecting ₹3,000 from each household for construction of the road. An earthmover was hired and a kutcha road was formed for 6.5 km – from Arla to Jajulabandha, spending a total amount of ₹7 lakh.

The kutcha road facilitated the movement of motorcycles. Subsequently, the tribals had organised protests on and off, seeking the laying of an asphalt road. The higher authorities had sanctioned ₹79 lakh for the construction of the road, through the Tribal Welfare Department, in 2023.

Mr. Govinda Rao alleged that an amount of ₹29 lakh was drawn by the officials concerned, but the works were stopped midway. The lack of a proper road was causing problems to the tribal people, particularly during health emergencies, as the patients have to be carried in ‘dolis’. Recently, an 80-year-old man had to be carried in a ‘doli’ up and down the hills to the bank for his pension.

The tribal leaders demanded that the authorities should ensure early completion of the road at least now. They threatened to stage a protest at the Zilla Parishad meeting, scheduled to be held on July 27, if no action was taken on their demands by then.