Lack of road costs another life in Idukki’s tribal settlement

The lack of proper road connectivity has cost the people of Edamalakkudy panchayat another life. The latest victim is five-year-old Karthik, a resident of Koodallarkudy settlement in the panchayat. Though the Scheduled Tribes Development department sanctioned ₹18.45 crore in 2022 for the construction of roads in Idukki’s Edamalakkudy, the first tribal panchayat in the State, proper roads still remain a distant dream for the nearly 2,000 Muthuvan tribal families living here.

The five-year-old boy had developed high fever on Friday morning, which later escalated, and with no direct road connectivity, the family was forced to carry the child on a makeshift stretcher for 10 km through the dense forest to reach the nearest hospital in Mankulam. Despite this, his life could not be saved. Their struggle continued even after the child’s death. The local people on Saturday were forced to carry the body of the child in a coffin to reach the settlement.

“Karthik is the latest victim of the lack of road infrastructure in our settlement. We don’t know how long we will be forced face this situation,” said a tribesperson.

According to Idukki block panchayat member C. Rajendran, a Muthuvan tribal community member, the government had allotted money for the construction of the 12.5 km road till Societykudy, the village centre, in October 2022. However, even the first phase has not been completed yet. “In the initial phase, it was decided to construct a 7.5 km-long road between Pettimudy to Edaliparakudy. As of now, construction is done only till Keppakkad, a 4-km-stretch. The work is put on hold at present,” he said.

“The contractor is raising various issues, including the lack of resources, resulting in the project getting delayed. The road from Keppakkad to Societykudy is in an extremely bad condition, especially during the rainy season, rendering it unmotorable,” said Mr. Rajendran.

Recently, the Civil Supplies department had launched direct ration distribution in Edamalakkudy. “However, the transportation of goods is facing a roadblock due to the bad condition of the road connecting Pettimudy and Societykudy. Recently, a multi-utility vehicle carrying the goods met with an accident here. Due to the lack of connectivity, we are unable to ensure proper ration distribution in the area,” said Sanjaynath R., a civil supply officer at Devikulam taluk.

Mr. Rajendran said Koodallarkudy settlement is more close to Mankulam in Adimaly. “If a road is constructed connecting this route, the tribespeople can easily reach Mankulam,” he said.