Visakhapatnam: Tribals in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district made a challenging six-kilometer trek from Sariya to Madrabu, carrying the body of 60-year-old Konda Tambali Silakamma using a doli On Tuesday. Silakamma, who passed away at KG Hospital in Vizag due to health complications, was first transported by ambulance to Devarapalli, then by autorickshaw to Sariya. However, due to the lack of roads, the journey had to be continued on foot from the base of the hills.
Family members shared that a group of villagers carried the doli in shifts, taking over three hours to reach the hilltop village where Silakamma's last rites were performed.
Residents of Madrabu, along with other hilltop tribal villages like Tulasibu, Karakavalasa, Rachakilam, and Gummati, have long demanded better road access. Despite repeated appeals to elected officials and district authorities over the past seven decades, no significant progress has been made.
Although ₹13 crore has been allocated under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) for road construction in these areas, no work has yet commenced. K Govinda Rao, a CPM leader, stated that they plan to intensify protests demanding better infrastructure for these villages.
