Kurnool: Neglect by the government and the administration, crisis in the agriculture sector and lack of employment of opportunities have forced the residents of Lallayipet in Kurnool district to abandon their village. The adage that “Man shall not live by bread alone” aptly explains the fate of this village as the last five families recently bade goodbye to it to settle elsewhere.
Lallayipet was once a flourishing and self sufficient village with more than 25 households — all Reddys — each owning above 50 acres of land. Now this 500-year-old village, with houses built with Kadapa slabs and a concrete road sports a graveyard look.
Gali Rami Reddy, 75, one of the last to leave the village, said he now lives in a rented house in nearby Chandulur. He said, “I could not live here alone after everybody left. I had seen the heights of prosperity in this village.”
Rangamma, a 68-year-old woman said, “Nobody visited us. We were left alone. How long could we endure the loneliness?”
Chilakalur Sarpanch T Narsimhulu said that Lallyipet used to provide work to his villagers throughout the year. They used to provide grains during slack seasons to feed several families from nearby villages.
Around 25 families used to live in the village till 1995. As the joint family system vanished, most of the new generation started to leave the village for cities like Hyderabad, Bangalore and Proddutur n search of jobs. Others have now moved to places like Chandulur and other villages, sources said.
