Tribal people of Mannakumbri near Kalakodu-Megalamakki in Mudigere taluk recently carried the corpse of a woman of the community on a doli as their hamlet has no road to the outer world.
Sharadamma, 55, suffering from a serious illness, died in a private clinic at Kalasa on Monday afternoon. With the help of a local people, the family could carry the body in a vehicle up to Kalakodu-Megalamakki. However, there is no road further to their hamlet, where three families stay put. Her husband, Chandu Gowda, and other relatives wrapped the body in a blanket and tied it to a pole so that they should carry the body in a doli-like structure.
Vijay Kalakodu, a resident of Kalakodu, who was alone among those helped the family carry the corpse, said there had been no road between Megalamakki and Mannakumbri for ages. “The distance is about two kilometres. For years, they have been demanding a road, but their demand has not been fulfilled”, he said. A couple of years ago, he remembered that Sharadamma’s son, Uday, suffered serious injuries after falling from a tree. He had multiple fractures. The family faced difficulty in bringing him often to the hospital. “Uday died as the family members could not take him to a hospital due to lack of road facility”, he added.
There are a few such hamlets in Mudigere taluk with no road connectivity. “People of Gowdlu tribe are residing in such hamlets. They hardly come out of their places. A majority of them are all agriculture labourers, who work in nearby farms, plantations”, said Lakshman Achar, a resident of Kalasa.
The taluk administration took note of this incident and sent a team of officers of Samse Gram Panchayat to the village on Wednesday. M. Venkatesh, Executive Officer of Mudigere Taluk Panchayat, told The Hindu, “The distance between the main road and the hamlet is about 500 metres, not two kilometres as claimed by the villagers. They have no other alternative route, but to walk crossing the private land holdings”, he said.
The officer said laying road for the hamlet would include the construction of a bridge as well. The bridge would require huge funds and it could be taken up only if elected representatives provide money from their local area development fund. “The gram panchayat has funds for the mud road. However, to lay the road owners of private land have to part with their land. So far they have not agreed”, he added.
