Thu Jan 02 22:08:00 UTC 2025: **Andhra Pradesh Officials Inspect Road After Reports of Tribal Woman’s Death**
VISAKHAPATNAM, January 3, 2025 – Following recent reports of a 10-day-old baby dying due to lack of road access to timely medical care, officials from Andhra Pradesh’s Tribal Welfare Department inspected a kutcha road in Chintapalli. Deputy Executive Engineer B. Raghunath Naidu and Assistant Executive Engineer Ch. Ramakrishna trekked two kilometers on Thursday to assess the condition of the road leading to Jajulabandha village. This inspection follows ongoing coverage by *The Hindu* highlighting the difficulties faced by tribal communities due to inadequate infrastructure, particularly impacting pregnant women and the sick who must be transported in makeshift palanquins.
The inspection comes after Anakapalli District Collector Vijaya Krishnan sanctioned ₹6.60 crore (approximately $800,000 USD) for the construction of two roads in the region on December 2, 2024. Funding will be split between MGNREGS (75%) and convergence share (25%). The new project aims to address the existing road issues and plans to connect a one-kilometer stretch from Pithrigedda to Jajulabandha with a BT road at an estimated cost of ₹1 crore (approximately $120,000 USD). This new road will connect with another recently sanctioned road, connecting the previously inaccessible areas. The officials aim to complete the work by March 2025.
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