Muthuvan tribal group to conduct PWD office blockade demanding road works resumption

A high-level meeting of the Adivasi Muthuvan Samudaya Sangam, a group representing the Muthuvan tribal community, took place in Adimaly on Sunday. They plan to block a Public Works Department (PWD) office, demanding the completion of road construction for the first tribal panchayat at Edamalakkudy.

Adivasi Muthuvan Samudaya Sangam president M. Palraj said that the meeting mainly discussed the pathetic living conditions of the Muthuvan community in the settlement. “The sangam members will conduct a PWD office blockade if the road construction works isn’t resumed within one week,” said Mr. Palraj.

“The meeting further demanded that the government should take steps to construct a road connecting all tribal hamlets in the Edamalakkudy panchayat. Now, the residents of these hamlets walk for hours between their settlements,” he said.

According to sources, the tribespeople also plan to boycott the upcoming local body elections if the government fails to complete the works before it. Recently, a meeting of tribal heads (ooru kootam) from Swamiyaralakudy and Koodallarkudy in two wards of Vattavada panchayat decided to boycott the upcoming local body and Assembly elections to protest the lack of proper road connectivity to the five Muthuvan tribal settlements under the panchayat.

“The government had allotted ₹4.75 crore for the construction works of the road connecting Edaliparakudy to Societykudy in the settlement. However, the tender process for road construction has not yet been completed,” said a tribal member from Edamalakkudy.

Meanwhile, Devikulam MLA A. Raja said that the first phase of the road connecting Pettimudy to Edaliparakudy will be completed within one and a half months, and the tender process for the Edaliparakudy to Societykudy road will be completed soon.