Imagine a neighbourhood where people are left with no other choice but to go to a secluded spot to perform morning ablutions, drink contaminated water, trek not less than 15 km to go to school or even further to visit a primary health centre, pass the entire evening with a flickering candle light or an oil lamp and spend sleepless nights fighting with mosquitoes buzzing in their ears. This is how over 400 residents of Pedda Bidda village in Anantagiri mandal have been living for decades. Absence of toilets made the villagers to walk long distance at odd hours until recently.
Just a week ago, the hamlet underwent a rapid change as solace came in the form of a CSR initiative taken by HSBC at a cost of Rs.3.5 crore in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity India. From living a miserable life to leading a life of dignity, the tribal people say that concrete houses, 308 sq ft each, have been provided to 83 families affected by the cyclonic storm Hudhud. “We are waiting for the erection of an electric pole so that the hamlet would get uninterrupted power supply. Lack of access to safe drinking water is another major health hazard that we continue to face. With just an age-old well catering to hundreds of villagers for generations, most of us suffer from water-borne diseases due to poor water quality,” says B. Bhagyawati, a resident of Pedda Bidda.
Though there is a Government Tribal Welfare Ashram High School for boys in the village, girls who wish to go to school have to trek over a distance of 15 km as there is no proper access to road here. “However, studying in Telugu medium schools is hardly making us employable. We need an English medium school to develop employability skills,” explains K. Shanti Kumari, a resident who discontinued her studies after Intermediate.
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