Sub-Collector treks 10 km, visits remote tribal hamlet

Markapuram : They are tribal people living in a remote hamlet, far from the district headquarters, and even mandal headquarters. They visit the mandal and district headquarters with pleas and petitions for provision of the infrastructure, and redressal of their problems. They never dreamt of a government official, more than the position of a VRO visiting them at their doorstep, as they are required to trek for 10 kilometres on a pathway filled with stones and thorns to reach the village. They are Chenchus of Chennapalem village in Pullalacheruvu mandal.

On Tuesday evening, the Chennapalem villagers witnessed an unbelievable incident. An IAS officer, the sub-collector of Markapuram, B Sahadit Venkat Trivanag, paid them a surprise visit. The sub-collector, along with a few of his subordinates, trekked to the village. He inspected the Anganwadi centre and the primary school and interacted with the locals.

The sarpanch Thati Nagalakshmi, her husband Srinivasulu, and the local VRO K Koteswara Rao explained the issues, mostly related to the infrastructure.

They complained to Sahadit that being in a remote place with no road connectivity and electricity, they are struggling to get enough drinking water, facing issues to shift the injured, ill or pregnant people to the hospital in an emergency, and send their children to high school.

Moved by the plight and condition of the villagers, the sub-collector assured them to give priority to resolving their issues by taking them up with the higher authorities.

He told the children that education is the only way to better their lives, and encouraged their parents to let their wards continue education. Observing that most of the villagers are walking barefoot on the rough pathway, he promised to send slippers to villagers, books, stationery for the kids, alphabets, number charts and other tools for use in the Anganwadi centre and the school.

The tribals, struck with awe for the love and affection of the sub-collector towards them, thanked him wholeheartedly. The sarpanch and others expressed gratitude to Sahadit, and are looking at a ray of hope for their future.