Visakhapatnam: Members of the Kondu tribe, classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), staged a symbolic protest on horseback, marching three kilometres across rugged terrain to demand the construction of a road in the Ananthagiri mandal of the Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district.
Residents from 11 remote villages in the Pinnakota, Peddakota, and Jeenapadu panchayats, home to nearly 2,500 people, participated in the demonstration. They are calling for work to begin on the Gummamthi–Rachakilam–Reddypadu road, for which Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan laid the foundation stone in December 2024 after trekking from Balagaruvu to Vajangi.
Following the ceremony, the government sanctioned Rs 11.64 crore for building a 12-km BT from Balagaruvu to Vajangi, Peechumamidi, Gummanthi, Kotalagoruvu, and Dayarthi, with an extension from Vaya Madrebu to Tuniseebu. However, seven months later, work has yet to begin.
This delay has serious consequences: villagers must walk between 24 and 44 kilometres to access basic supplies from the PVTG ration depot. Despite the presence of eight MPP schools and eight Anganwadi centres offering nutritional support, they are severely suffering due to the lack of connectivity.
The tribal community is calling on the ASR district collector to intervene and expedite the construction. If no action is taken, the villagers plan to launch a large-scale Doli Yatra on World Tribal Day to demonstrate their collective resolve.
Supporting the protest, CPM district executive member K. Govinda Rao, along with PVTG Sangham leaders Sedari Anand, Kondatamali Chinna Rao, K. Somanna, and Konda Tambali Narsingarao, joined the villagers in a horseback march from Madrebu to Dayarthi and onwards to Gurrala Bayalu.
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