Minister takes tribals by surprise

Khammam: It was a pleasant surprise for about 50 tribal community families living in a forest fringe hamlet Ramakrishnapuram Gudem, about 100 km from the district headquarters Khammam, when an entourage of the Minister for Roads and Buildings Tummala Nageshwar Rao reached them.

Tummala reaches remote village by bike, extends helping hand

The tribals of this hamlet hitherto had never seen a prominent political personality visiting their place as the hamlet is located in the Maoist-infested Yellandu mandal which is inaccessible even by a two-wheeler. The minister who rode a two-wheeler to some distance had to abandon it to reach the hamlet on foot crisscrossing amid a kutcha road.

Surprised by the minister’s arrival, the tribals, who were busy collecting haystack in the forest, swarmed around him and poured out their problems. While the minister patiently heard, two old-age women - Nagammakka and Bhummakka apprised him of their poverty-stricken woes.

“With the region receiving a scanty rainfall, neither we have irrigation facility nor do we have drinking water,” the women said. This apart, the agriculture is also affected by single phase power supply, they said.Reacting to their problems, Tummala directed the Transco officials to examine the feasibility of three phase power supply to the hamlet, which depended on Podu cultivation for livelihood.

While suggesting the tribals to go for the cultivation of pulses rather than cotton, he instructed the officials to conduct soil tests of the region before the Kharif season starts. Before visiting the hamlet, the minister inspected the check dam on the Murredu stream which went dry this summer. He discussed about raising of the height of the check dam to store more water.

By:Adepu Mahender