3 weeks ago
Andhra Pradesh Tribal Villages Demand Roads, Schools in Anakapalle
In a part of India called Andhra Pradesh, there are villages high up on hills where tribal families live.
These villages do not have proper roads, schools, or health centres.
About 400 people from the Kondu community decided to march a long way to ask the government for help.
The government had promised to build roads, and the villagers even helped collect money to build one themselves.
But heavy rain washed that road away, and other road-building work was stopped halfway.
Because there was no road, an ambulance could not reach a sick man, and his family had to carry him for a long distance.
The villagers have to walk very far, about 20 to 30 kilometres, just to get rice, vote, or see a doctor.
They keep asking their leaders for help, but so far nothing has changed.
The villagers say they are still waiting for justice and want roads so their lives can be better.
Around 400 members of the Kondu community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, staged a five-kilometre padayatra, marching half-naked to demand roads, Anganwadi centres and permanent schools.
The protest involved four hilltop villages: Pitri Gadda, Neellu Banda and Pedda Karuvu in Rolugunta mandal, and Jajulu Banda in Moolapet panchayat of Koyyuru mandal, straddling the ASR and Anakapalle district borders.
A ₹4.10 crore BT road sanctioned in 2025 from Arla to Pitri Gadda remains incomplete after heavy rains destroyed the formation, while a ₹60 lakh road from Pitri Gadda to Jajulu Banda has not begun six months after sanctioning.
When Korra Subbarao died at Narsipatnam area hospital, the ambulance could not reach his village, forcing residents to carry his body by hand for a long distance.
Residents of Jajulu Banda must travel 20 km for rice, 30 km to vote and 30 km to reach hospitals or Anganwadi centres, despite repeated petitions to the local MLA in Chodavaram constituency.
- Who
- Around 400 members of the Kondu community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, living in four hilltop villages in the Anakapalle area of Andhra Pradesh.
- What
- Villagers staged a five-kilometre padayatra, marching half-naked, to demand roads, Anganwadi centres, permanent schools and other basic facilities.
- Where
- Four hilltop villages straddling the ASR and Anakapalle district borders in Andhra Pradesh: Pitri Gadda, Neellu Banda, Pedda Karuvu and Jajulu Banda.
- When
- Exact date not specified; the protest follows years of unmet promises, including a ₹1 crore sanction in 2024 and a ₹4.10 crore sanction in 2025, with work stalled or destroyed by rains.
- Why
- Villagers say the lack of roads and connectivity affects their survival and dignity, forcing them to walk long distances for rice, voting, hospitals and Anganwadi centres, and causing tragedy when an ambulance could not reach the village.
Key facts
- Community
- Kondu, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group
- Protest
- Five-kilometre padayatra; villagers marched half-naked
- Villages affected
- Pitri Gadda, Neellu Banda, Pedda Karuvu (Rolugunta mandal), Jajulu Banda (Koyyuru mandal)
- Number of tribals
- Around 400
- 2024 sanction (unfinished)
- ₹1 crore under Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme; only four culverts built
- 2025 sanction (incomplete)
- ₹4.10 crore BT road from Arla to Pitri Gadda; foundation laid by legislator KSN Raju
- Latest sanction
- ₹60 lakh BT road from Pitri Gadda to Jajulu Banda; work not begun after six months
- Key demands
- Roads, Anganwadi centres and permanent schools
Quotes
Villagers of the Kondu community
Residents protesting for infrastructure
“We are still waiting for the authorities to respond and deliver justice”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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