Tribals of Ballukota village in Vizianagaram Agency take part in road construction work | Express
VIZIANAGARAM: Vexed with the government’s indifference, tribals of Ballukota in Vizianagaram Agency have taken up construction of a 3.2 km ‘kutcha’ road from their village on their own. About 50 tribal families live in Ballukota of Gotivada Gram Panchayat in Kurupam mandal.
Tribals were facing severe hardship to reach Kurupam from Ballukota for their daily needs, from where there is a motorable road. It became a tough task to shift people from Ballukota to nearby hospital in medical emergencies due to lack of proper road connectivity.
Though they had submitted several representations to the government seeking construction of a road to their village, there was no response. Ballukota comes under the purview of Kurupam Assembly constituency, which is represented by Deputy Chief Minister (Tribal Welfare) Pamula Pushpa Sreevani.
Upa Sarpanch Kondagorri Dilleswara Rao, ward member Arika Srinivasa Rao and other village elders had taken the initiative to construct a ‘kutcha’ road from Ballukota on their own.
Each family in the village contributed `100 for construction of the road. Responding to a call given by the Upa Sarpanch, about 150 tribals, including women and youth, came forward to offer Shramdan. They cleared thick bushes and wild plants on the stretch. A tractor was hired to transport material for the road work. The road construction was launched on Saturday.
Speaking to TNIE, Dilleswara Rao said, “Though we submitted several representations to the Integrated Tribal Development Agency and political leaders for the construction of road, no steps were taken to provide proper road connectivity to Ballukota.”
Fed up with the official apathy, the tribals of Ballukota had decided to construct the road on their own without waiting further for the government to take up the work.“The construction of the road is likely to be completed in the next few days. I hope the government will now convert the ‘kutcha’ road into a pucca road prompted by the initiative taken by tribals of Ballukota,” the Upa Sarpanch added.
