Tribals start laying road to their villages with "Shramdaan" as pleas go unheard in ASR district

The tribal people of remote hamlets_ Buruga, China Konela and few other villages under Rompalle panchayat of Ananthagiri mandal in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district have taken up the construction of around 8 kms road from Buruga to Vonija village of Mentada mandal in Vizianagaram district with shramdaan after the authorities concerned failed to heed their pleas for laying the road.
More than 100 Adivas, including women began the work a few days ago. Working for about four hours a day, they levelled the ground for about 1.2 km.
At a time, when India is celebrating various events marking over seven decades of Independence, the lack of roads is forcing tribal to walk for 10 to 12 km, carrying pregnant women and the sick people in the makeshift stretchers (Dolis) to reach the nearest road point, for shifting by ambulances from there to hospitals.
It may recalled a tribal man Sara Kothaiah from China Konela hilltop hamlet in ASR district, had to carry the body of his two-and-half-year old son Eswara Rao, who died at a private hospital in April 2024, on his shoulder for 8 km to reach village as the ambulance could not reach to China Konela from Vonija due to no road connectivity.
CPM leader K Govinda Rao said the officials of the tribal welfare department failed to lay a road between Buruga and Vonija. Interestingly, the officials have claimed they spent over Rs one crore for the road. But nothing has been done so far, he added.
“Though the officials and public representatives have been saying that the road work would be taken up, nothing has happened so far. Vexed with the problem, we started laying road to our villages and will complete the work with shramdaan by August first week,” said Buruga Pentaiah, Somula Yerrayya, Somula Kothaiah and Somula Appala Raju, native of the two tribal hamlets.