Visakhapatnam: On the Diwali night, tribal villagers from Booriga, Chinna Konala, Simmuduvalasa, and Dangervalasa in Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district, organised a protest march seeking electricity in their homes, instead of celebrating the Festival of Lights with diyas and bursting firecrackers.
Coinciding with the holy Amavasya (no moon) day, they carried blazing kagadas (flaming wooden torches) through Rompelli panchayat of Anantagiri mandal, chanting slogans including “We too are human beings. Recognise us.
Around 120 Konda Dora tribal families participated in the march. These villagers have long struggled without electricity despite a directive from the district collector to the electricity department to ensure power supply under the Janman scheme. However, only eight families have been provided electricity supply, while records mention that all families have been extended the facility.
Says Buriga Pentaiah, village head of Rompelli panchayat: "It has been 78 years since our country's independence. Yet, even today, our Adivasi tribes in these hilltop villages lack electricity. Though the Sun provides us light daily, nights are spent in darkness."
Protestors Somula Shankarrao and Somula Appalaraju say, “We have been celebrating our weddings and festivals under the glow of traditional torches. We continue to live in darkness in this country that aims for progress.”
Other village heads, including Konaparthi Simhachalam and Somula Sanyasi Rao, apart from a large number of women, participated in the protest march seeking electric lights in their houses.
