Telangana: Sans facilities, villagers migrate

Warangal: Lack of basic facilities is forcing farmers to leave their land and native villages in search of other means of livelihood in several interior Adivasi villages. In the past few months, more than 30 families left Govindapuram in Kothaguda mandal of Mahbubabad district. Even as Govindapuram village is located on the border of Warangal Rural and Mahbubabad district, it falls under Mulugu constituency behind Laknavaram forest. 

Inhabited by around 500 villages, Govindapuram goes through a severe dry spell during summer season and they go through several hardships to fetch potable drinking water. Given the water scarcity, villagers barely manage to cultivate one crop per year. Children do not have proper education facilities as the school complex is in a dilapidated state with broken doors and cracked walls. No one sends their kids to this school. Only the Anganwadi centre is functional in a small room with about 10 children. Other students go to schools in other villages travelling about 5km.

The village does not have even a primary health centre. The villagers have to travel 32 kms to Narsampet for medical emergencies. Due to absence of pucca roads, villagers face many a difficulty during rainy season. Villagers complain that they approached their MLA and tourism minister Azmeera Chandulal several times and explain their plight but there is no positive response from him so far. 

“Our village is remembered only during elections when the leaders come asking for votes. We remain a forgotten lot until next elections. Most of the people belong to either Koya or Yadava community. They are leaving behind their hereditary professions. Youngsters are going to cities like Warangal and Hyderabad for education and employment. With no proper facilities, families started moving out of the village,” said Chevvu Venkatesh, a resident of the village.

Even with limited resources and their studies, some of the youth like Venkatesh managed to bring health camps to the village and even organised motivational sessions for the benefit of the villagers with help from NGOs. There are many such villages near Govindapuram which face the similar situation.