Within a tiger reserve, Pudukadu gets its very own grocery shop

NGO opens provision shop in remote village, easing access to essentials for tribal families in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.

For 35 tribal families in Pudukadu, a small hamlet nestled within the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), the simple task of buying provisions involves an arduous trek of at least 15 km, sometimes even 54 km. Saturday, October 26, was a red letter day for them, when a provision shop was opened within their village.

A Sathyamangalam-based NGO, Rights Education and Development Centre (READ), has set up a community-owned shop in the village to serve the people there. Located 18 km from Hasanur in the Talamalai Reserve Forest, the village is only accessible via a one-km mud road branching off from the Mavallam-Kottadai road. Most residents are daily-wage earners, while a few own plots of rain-fed land.

As part of its participatory rural appraisal programme, the NGO engaged with the community to address six interlinked issues: health and household care, leadership, family and community cohesion, education, earnings, and finance. Families pointed out their difficulty in accessing stores in Arepalayam (15 km away), Talavadi (52 km), or Sathyamangalam (54 km), seeking a shop within their own village.

R. Arulsamy, the councillor for Ward 6 of the panchayat, noted that only a few buses are available for the people to reach the shops in nearby towns, while they face the threat of wild animals when traversing the forest. Pudukadu resident G. Vinitha, 37, said that waiting for the bus to reach Hasanur to buy provisions has been a time-consuming affair so far, often taking half-a-day for each trip to the shop. “Now, we can get essentials at our own village, which will bring a big change in our life,” she said.

READ director R. Karuppasamy told The Hindu that the difficulty in accessing essential commodities was a major constraint for these families. With the support of a foundation, it was decided to start a shop. “We took a few families and purchased essentials for ₹50,000 from a wholesale shop in Sathyamangalam,” he said, adding that a resident would manage the shop and keep the profits as income. The day-to-day sales will be monitored by the village development committee (VDC). Funds generated from sales will be used for repurchasing essential products, the director added.

M. Ranjitham, 45, said that earlier, residents were forced to borrow money to purchase provisions in bulk quantities and also spend more on transportation. “But now, we can buy whenever we need,” she said.

The NGO, with the support of the foundation, plans to open shops in four more habitations in the region, including at Gethesal, Ittarai, and Mavallam where people continue to face similar challenges. A model co-operative store needs to be established in these hilly areas to sell products to benefit people, Mr. Karuppasamy said.