Taking cognizance of the efforts put up by over 300 people from nine villages in Anantagiri mandal in Visakha Agency to build a 15-km road, the authorities concerned have now jumped into action.
A report was published in The Hindu on February 12 under the headline ‘The ‘mountain men and women’ of Visakha agency’, which highlighted how the villagers have taken up the onus to build the road from Bonneru to Chedimetta, so that they get connected to Devarapalli.
Speaking to The Hindu, Madala Venkata Rao, an adivasi from Bonneru village, who is leading the ‘shramadhan,’ said that based on the reports, Assistant Project Officer of ITDA (MNREGA) Siva Prasad visited our villages and assured to enrol our efforts under MNREGA Scheme. “He (APO) informed us there is funds under the MNREGA and it will be utilised for this purpose. He also informed us that a proposal for a permanent BT Road has been sent and works will start, once it was sanctioned,” he said.
Mr. Venkat Rao, who is one among the few tribal youth who is pursuing engineering, is in his third year of civil engineering, and has taken up the initiative to mobilise men and material to build the road.
Araku town is about 80 km from Bonneru village and Devarapalli, the nearest town is around 30 km, and the villages have never been connected.
Since there was no road connectivity, the adivasis did not have access to medical and health care, education and other basic amenities.
To tide over the problems they decided to build a kutcha road, after their efforts to get the authorities concerned move failed.
