NRI couple brings to light plight of a tribal hamlet in Nellore

An NRI couple who returned from the United Kingdom exposed the hardships faced by the residents of a tribal hamlet at Padamati Kambhampadu village of Ananthasagaram mandal in SPSR Nellore district.

The couple Harish Kumar Chadalawada and his wife Mridula Chadalawada identified the tribal hamlet after watching a video on social media which claimed that the hamlet lacked basic amenities and was in a ‘neglected’ state. During their visit to Padamati Kambhampadu village, they observed that the residents of the ST Colony have no access to drinking water, electricity and roads. The couple provided plastic tarpaulins to cover the huts against rainwater leaks.

The couple also celebrated Jana Sena Party founder and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s birthday on September 2 (Tuesday) by distributing some essentials and ration to the residents of the ST Colony.

Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Mridula said, “Around 20 tribal families in ST Colony still live in huts within the forest area, having no basic facilities. These families have been surviving without electricity and continue to live in extremely difficult conditions. During rains, they struggle in their small huts and often have to move to the nearby government school for shelter.”

“Upon learning this, we approached Minister of Endowments Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, who is also the local MLA. He prioritised the issue and ensured to sanction electricity connection to the village. Irony is there are many such villages where the dignity and basic needs remain unmet even today,” she said.

Sailaja Kumari, a resident of ST Colony, who made the video that went viral on social media, said, “After making the video about our poor condition in the village, MDO and AE Housing visited our area. Both the officials have assured to provide basic facilities, but in vain. We have also met District Collector during the PGRS meeting and explained our issues.”

Due to the lack of proper roads, our children are struggling to get to school. Despite several requests to the Electricity Department, the power supply was not given. Last month, four poles were laid and there was no progress in the works. Presently, we are going to the houses of a neighbouring colony to charge our mobile phones, she added.

When asked about the electricity connection to the village, Nellore Superintending Engineer of APSPDCL V. Vijayan said, “We are planning to give power supply to new villages through three-phase supply lines under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). This village will also be covered in this scheme. I will direct the concerned officials to know their requirement.”