Tribal residents of Tokuru panchayat in Anantagiri mandal of Alluri Sitharama Raju district staged a unique protest on Thursday, highlighting the absence of a basic kuccha road to their villages decades after 79 years of Independence.
Under the aegis of the Adivasi Girijana Sangham, residents of Chittampadu, Nandanapuram, and Kothavalasa villages carried ‘dolis’ (makeshift stretchers) to demand the construction of a road from Rayavalasa to Nandanapuram Kothavalasa via the Chittampadu waterfalls.
Speaking on the occasion, former Sarpanch of Tokuru, Killo Mosya, said that despite their region serving as the gateway to the popular Chittampadu waterfalls, authorities have neglected in providing road connectivity. He recalled that during Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s visit to Araku, he had personally met him and submitted a memorandum requesting the sanctioning of a road from Rayavalasa to Kothavalasa.
Villagers said that due to the lack of road access they are forced to rely on ‘dolis’ to shift pregnant women to hospitals or during medical emergencies. They demanded that the district administration and public representatives respond immediately and sanction the road at the earliest. They also warned that they would intensify their struggle if their demands were not met.
