The long pending demand of the tribal people living in Bodamalai, a hilltop in Rasipuram taluk in Vennandur Union, is to be fulfilled as the district administration is in the process of preparing a project report for creating road facility to connect the hilltop with the plains.
Bodamalai is located about 1,200 metres from the plains and about 150 families live in Keelur, Melur and Kedamalai panchayats. These villages could be reached only after trekking about 8 km through the reserved forest.
Due to absence of roads, many tribal people have settled down at the foothills of Bodamalai and climb the hills for about three hours to reach their agricultural land in the hilltop where they cultivate minor millets.
Their primary demand was road facility between the hilltop and the plains as elderly people, patients and pregnant women were transported in cradles to the hospitals in the plains. The village has power and mobile network connectivity, but lacks road facility. Trekking on foot has been the routine activity for the people for many generations now.
Collector V. Dakshinamoorthy along with a team of officials trekked for about four hours to reach the hilltop recently to participate in special camps.
He said that survey was completed for laying roads between Keelur and Vadugam and work is on to prepare the project cost.
“The report would be submitted to the government soon,” he added.
Officials told The Hindu that the proposed road to Keelur and Melur passes through reserved forest area and hence permission has to be obtained from the Ministry of Environment and Forest. They said that a project report was submitted to the government for laying roads to Kedamalai area and work would begin after funds were sanctioned. Once road facility is created to link the tribal hamlets, they can market their agricultural goods in the plains and improve their standard of living.
