The quality of life in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram towns is far removed from that in interior villages of the two districts.
The contrast between the haves and the have-nots is stark. While residents of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram towns enjoy access to uninterrupted power supply, clean drinking water, public and private medical care, and a high level of recreation, their counterparts living in villages barely 80 km away do not even have basic road connectivity, let alone medical care.
In August 2018, a young tribal woman named Tamarakonda Jindammi, living in a remote village called Sirivaram in Vizianagaram district, was in her fifth month of pregnancy when she suffered complications. With no road connectivity, villagers carried Ms. Jindammi in a makeshift ‘doli’ on foot for 12 km to the nearest health centre in Duggeru, from where she was shifted to Parvatipuram in an ambulance.
However, the 12-km journey proved to be too taxing for Ms. Jindammi, who suffered a miscarriage at the Parvatipuram area hospital.
Ms. Jindammi is one of thousands of tribals living in remote villages of the two districts where there is no road connectivity. Pregnant women, patients and elderly people face severe hardships while being taken on foot to the nearest hospital, which is usually over 10 km away.
Many tribals who come on work to nearby towns are forced to stay till the next day due to lack of transport facility to their villages.
‘Situation improving’
Officials say compared to previous years, the situation has improved with the government spending heavily on the development of tribal areas. In Vizianagaram district, road formation was completed in 350 villages. Another 200 villages are yet to get good connectivity. "We are giving top priority to road connectivity in hill-top areas. Most of the funds of the MGNREGA scheme are being used to form new roads. The situation has improved significantly. Ambulances can now ply on roads to help patients who are in dire need of medical assistance," said G. Lakshmisha, Project Officer of Integrated Tribal Development Agency-Parvatipuram.
Sithampet Integrated Tribal Development Agency of Sithampet spent nearly ₹44 crore in the last couple of years to provide road connectivity to all 1,239 villages coming under Meliyaputti, Hiramandalam, Palakonda and Sithampet. Sithampet ITDA Project Officer L. Sivasankar told The Hindu that the contractors were directed to complete the work before the beginning of the monsoon.
Catalyst for growth
"Economic activity improves significantly in tribal areas when proper road connectivity is provided. The tribal farmers can transport their produce to nearby towns easily instead of depending on middlemen who offer only throwaway prices," he added.
Nuka Sanyasi Rao, director of an NGO called ARTS, said that the dropout rate in schools would come down significantly in tribal areas with the formation of roads. "Many kids are unable to walk for long distances to reach schools located in nearby villages. They can come easily to school and go back home before sunset if there is a good road network in remote areas," Mr. Rao said.
