Visakhapatnam: A Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) pregnant woman in labour pains had to be carried in a doli – a wooden contraption, for a distance of seven kilometres so that she could reach the nearest primary health centre (PHC) at Dairthi village in Pinnikota panchayat of Alluri Sitarama Raju district during the early hours of Wednesday for delivering her baby.
Kondatambali Radha is a resident of Madrebu village in Peddakota panchayat of Anantagiri mandal in Alluri Sitaramaraju district. She went into labour at 2 o'clock in the early hours. Her husband Lakshmana Rao mobilised people to carry her on a wooden doli to the nearest PHC for seven kilometres, crossing the panchayats of Peddakota Janabadu, and Pinakota.
This is a regular problem for PVTGs in the interior forests and hills. If anyone falls ill or is pregnant, the only means of transportation is doli carried by humans.
To overcome this problem, 150 villagers tried to build a two-kilometre road by themselves from Gummanti to Rachakilam. On seeing the road being built, the Anantagiri MPDO sanctioned Rs 20 lakh under the employment guarantee scheme. However, construction of the road had to be stopped when forest officials objected to it.
The tribal community went to the special Spandana programme at Anantagiri to complain, but there has been no response from the government as yet. Tribes demand Prime Minister PVTG Development Mission scheme be implemented in the area. They want the roads to the hilltop villages paved.
In the backdrop of forthcoming elections, tribal leader K Govindaraju says, “MLAs, MPs, and ministers travel only on the well-laid roads. They should come to our hilly villages and know about our problems.”
Tribal leaders say they have petitioned the ASR district collector several times stating that if the forest department permits, they will construct roads to the hilltop villages by themselves. “Otherwise, foresters threaten to file cases against us,” the leaders stated.
Villagers in the entire Paderu area are gearing up for a “Chalo Paderu Doli Yatra” in the first week of January seeking permission from the forest department to build the road
