Well laid roads remain underutilised

Paderu (ASR district): The well laid roads to many mandals and villages in Alluri Sitarama Raju district are underutilised due to non-operation of bus services along these stretches. This is causing hardships to Tribals, who have to travel to either mandal headquarters or district headquarters on various works. ITDA officials said that roads have been laid in 600 villages in 11 mandals by spending crores of rupees in the past 10 years in Paderu revenue division in the district. Paderu is the only bus depot in the entire district, with only 42 buses.

Tribals from several hundreds of villages, including Rampachodavaram, Paderu revenue divisions, Chinturu, Yetapaka find it difficult to reach district headquarters at Paderu. At present, Tribals in Chinturu or Yetapaka mandals have to shed around Rs 600 for to and fro bus tickets to Paderu. They must spend a minimum of 36 hours as there is no direct bus. In fact, reaching State capital Amravati is much easier for these tribals than reaching their district capital Paderu, in terms of both cost and time. It was criticised that the government, which merged tribal areas and formed a separate tribal district with good intention, had ignored to provide enough transportation facilities.

Rampachodavaram MLA N Dhanalakshmi informed that after knowing the plight of the people, the government started a few new bus services. A direct bus from Rampachodavaram to Paderu and Gokavaram to Kota was started; and also Paderu-Gemmeli bus service was resumed that was stopped seven years ago, she added. Without RTC bus services, drivers of autos and jeeps that are available for Pedabayalu, G Madugula and some villages in Odisha border areas are looting Tribals by charging more money.

RTC Depot Manager RS Nayudu said that steps are being taken to develop public transportation in Paderu and to run buses to every mandal in the district. New buses are being operated from Anantagiri mandal to Borra caves, via Chinthapalli and Rajavommangi to Rampachodavaram mandal. He added that they are running seven services on Araku route, six on Munchangiputtu route, four on Chintapalli, two on Mampa and GK Vedhi routes, one service to Donkarayi and one service each to remote villages of Kumada, Bakuru, Uppa, Maddigaruvu, Gemmeli, Bongaram, Vannada, Mulkottur and Korukonda under Paderu division. They are running inter district services to Kakinada and Rajahmundry.

A teacher from Yetapaka, Dara Ravi noted that transportation problems of the locals could be solved if more bus depots are established in Rampachodavaram and Chinthapalli areas in the district. Daily bus services are running from Rajahmundry RTC depot to Bhadrachalam, but as these are express services, passengers of mandal centres are only benefitted, he pointed out.

Gokavaram bus depot Manager U Ramanna Dora told The Hans India that more than 20 buses are plying from Gokavaram bus depot in East Godavari district to tribal villages in Alluri district. According to him, four buses are running to Addatheegala, four to Rampachodavaram, six to Bhadrachalam, two to Gurthedu and recently bus service launched to Kota village. Special services are being operated to Kakawada, Pamugandi, Pedanutulu and Chatlawada villages on Saturdays and Sundays for the tribals, who go to weekly markets (varapu santha).

People of various villages in Munchangiputtu, Hukumpet, Pedabayalu and Dumbriguda mandals complained that their conditions have not changed even after roads laid without transport facilities.