Thu Jan 16 16:01:12 UTC 2025: ## Andhra Pradesh Tribals Build Own Road After Years of Delays

**VISAKHAPATNAM, January 16, 2025** – Frustrated by government inaction, around 200 tribal people in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district, Andhra Pradesh, have taken matters into their own hands, constructing a three-kilometer road to connect their remote villages.

For years, the residents of Dayarthi, a hilltop village home to approximately 450 members of the Kondh tribe (a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, or PVTG), have lacked proper road access. Despite ₹1.5 crore being sanctioned in 2022 under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) for a seven-kilometer road connecting their village to Ballagaruvu, the project remains incomplete. A previous road built in 2018-19 was washed away by heavy rains.

The arduous journey, often involving carrying sick and elderly villagers in makeshift stretchers across treacherous terrain, prompted the community to build a temporary kutcha (unpaved) road from Gummanthi to Dayarthi over five days. The lack of road access has made it nearly impossible for ambulances to reach the village in emergencies.

While the Deputy Chief Minister recently laid the foundation for a different road project in the area, villagers insist that the completion of the Ballagaruvu-Dayarthi road is crucial. Local officials and representatives from the CPI(M) have appealed to the government to urgently allocate funds to complete the remaining stretch of road, ending years of neglected infrastructure development. The incident highlights the persistent challenges faced by remote tribal communities in accessing basic amenities.

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