Telecommunication is a far cry, closest transport is about 17 km away and the residents of this tribal hamlet with a population of 400 will have to travel about 80 km to access quality healthcare for any serious ailment. Two years after a major health tragedy claimed 21 lives, nothing much has changed here on the ground.
Chaparai hit headlines in 2017 when 21 tribal people succumbed to contaminated water in the East Godavari Agency area. A stream passing through the village was the only source of water for drinking and other requirements. As per reports, the villagers consumed water contaminated by an animal carcass due to which about 50 people fell ill. As per the government records, the incident claimed 16 lives, but locals attribute another five deaths to it.
Kondala Mangi Reddy, resident of Chaparai and brother of a three-year-old girl who died in the tragedy, says there was nothing anyone could do during the medical emergency. He told The Hindu: “We should carry the patient at least for 17 km on bumpy clay roads for bus facility which is available thrice a day. Almost the whole village was suffering from vomiting and fevers and we could not do anything at all. Private transport from the village is almost nil. Now, I’m suffering from fever but have no option except to wait for it to come down on its own. I’m not in a position to even stand.”
No political leader visits
Political leaders never visit this remote hamlet. For a change, voters in Chaparai are forced to go on foot to attend political meets at a shandy in Potavaram village, about 17 km away, as none of the leaders above mandal level wants to visit them.
The village-level party workers usually make one visit just before the polls. Voters in the hamlet will have to travel seven km for the polling booth in the Boddagandi panchayat.
The much-needed communication is a major issue here as there is no mobile tower network. The government had arranged a makeshift phone and video conferencing facility through fiber grid network at the village soon after the tragedy, but it failed within no time, according to residents.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who was in Davos, had interacted with the tribal people after the tragedy. “But the landline phone stopped working from the very next day and we are not sure whether the officials know about it,” says another villager Pallela Kanakamma.
Pension, other issues
Fixing anomalies related to other usual benefits such as pensions is also a Herculean task. Andala Pandemma, a 55-year-old widow, says she is not hopeful of getting pension as officials never show up. “Our family has two handicapped adolescents. We survive on my son Sanyasi Reddy’s daily wage which is irregular,” Ms. Pandemma said. “Drawing the attention and audience of the officials concerned is a huge task here. They are mostly inclined towards spending time in district headquarters Kakinada,” says Former upa-sarpanch in the Y Ramavaram mandal G. Jagapathi .
