When asked about development, voters across all castes and social sections pointed towards a lack of rural connectivity and roads.
Published May 12, 2024 | 10:24 PM ⚊ Updated May 13, 2024 | 8:24 AM
The road to enter Surampeta village, Pithapuram. (South First)
Former Telangana chief minister and BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao, in the run-up to his state’s Assembly elections in November last year, says, “If the road is double, it’s Telangana, and if it’s single, it’s Andhra Pradesh.”
It was his satirical way of referring to the row over bad roads in Andhra Pradesh, from which Telangana was carved out in 2014.
KCR missed what would have been his hat-trick of wins in the state, and six months have passed since then.
Perhaps his comments did not work in his favour, but they still resonate among voters from Hyderabad and Bengaluru, who are coming to Andhra Pradesh to choose between the NDA, YSRCP, and INDIA bloc.
Vijay Kumar, a techie returning from Hyderabad, said, “The road connecting Vijayawada to Gudivada is in a pathetic condition.”
He noted: “One cannot drive at a speed of more than 20-30 km per hour due to the continuous need to apply the brakes.”
The sentiment among those heading to the villages was consistent with this experience.
South First‘s analysis suggests that this election cycle revolves around pro-Jagan versus anti-Jagan sentiments.
Interactions with many individuals who hold anti-Jagan views, as well as those who support Jagan, shed light on a prevalent sentiment of dissatisfaction with development.
Interestingly, when referring to development, they don’t primarily point to the capital, jobs, and industries.
However, across all caste and social sections, people point towards “rural connectivity and roads”.
A journey from Narasaraopet, a city in the Palnadu district, to Parvathipuram, the tribal constituency near Visakhapatnam — covering almost 500 km, some on public transport and some on a two-wheeler — shed light on rural connectivity and roads in Andhra Pradesh.
A woman shopkeeper from Rajamahendravaram (also known as Rajahmundry), speaking on the condition of anonymity, shared her political views.
Initially, she spoke at length about YS Jagan, praising the current chief minister for the welfare money she received.
However, she later revealed that her positive views on the YSRCP chief regarding welfare didn’t extend to his performance in development, particularly citing dissatisfaction with the condition of roads in Rajahmundry.
“If it hadn’t been for the sudden rains, her view might have been overshadowed by the welfare benefits,” shared a local journalist who had come along for the conversation.
“But now, with the rain affecting not just her but many others, his performance on roads will likely be considered,” added the scribe.
Further within Rajahmundry and its rural areas, the condition of the roads remained the same, except for the national highways.
Earlier, while compiling a ground report for Pithapuram, South First found entering Surampeta itself a tough task.
Vehicles would skid and bounce on the slushy mud path. Those opting to walk would soon find their shoes heavy with muck.
The villagers, however, get the same promises in abundance during each election season.
One of the villagers, Pusarala Sai Lakshmi, expressed concern, saying, “Our children have to put on their school clothes only after crossing the bridge during rains; that’s how bad the conditions are here.”
He added: “No one has bothered to address the issue. How are women supposed to manage during these times?”
The situation in tribal areas reflects a similar situation, some even with more deplorable conditions. As a result, tribals in many areas surrounding Visakhapatnam say they were boycott the elections.
Marri Kameshwar Rao from the Kumbarlubanda village in the Paderu constituency, told South First that people like him laid down the plain roads in the area with our money — from the little savings from MGNREGA works.
“But now, with the rains pouring, even bikes that used to come halfway up the mountain have stopped,” he said.
Screenshot from the video released by the tribals in Araku. (South First)
Kameshwar Rao added, “To cast a vote, I have to walk 10 km to Downuru from my hilltop village Kumbarlubanda, and there are no transportation facilities. Many elderly people and women are unlikely to cast their votes under these circumstances.”
In the Madrebu village of the Ananthagiri mandal under the Araku Lok Sabha constituency, 170 villagers — including 70 voters — said they would boycott the elections due to a lack of proper road facilities, which forces them to navigate patchy terrain.
Vanthala Santoshi, a tribal woman in a video shared with South First by protesters, was heard saying, “We have to walk 30 km to the Peddakota village to cast our votes.”
She added: “Whether it’s for hospitals, ration, or anything else, we are solely dependent on horses. We will only cast our votes once proper roads are provided.”
Against the backdrop of ongoing political skirmishes between TDP and YSRCP regarding corruption allegations and the substandard quality of roads and rural infrastructure during their respective administrations, one undeniable fact emerges: Many areas of Andhra Pradesh suffer from inadequate road connectivity.
On rural connectivity and road conditions, Panchayat Raj Chamber president YVB Rajendra Prasad told South First, “For the welfare and development of 3.5 crore rural people across 12,918 gram panchayats in the state, the 14th Finance Commission allocated ₹2,625 crore for the year 2018-19 and ₹1,939 crore for the year 2021-22, totalling ₹8,629.79 crore.”
He added that the Central government provided an additional ₹2,010 crore for 2022-23 and ₹2,031 crore for the current financial year, 2023-24, amounting to ₹4,041 crore, which the state government allegedly diverted.
“This led to a situation where local bodies could not undertake developmental works,” noted Prasad.
Govind Rao, a CPI(M) leader from the Visakhapatnam district, alleged corruption and said leaders showed little concern for or interest in promoting or prioritising development initiatives.
He added: “We have sent repeated complaints to the Central Vigilance Commission over corruption. We are yet to receive any response from them.”
With manifestos dominated by welfare promises, the question certainly arises: Can either the incumbent YSRCP or the Opposition NDA parties prioritise providing basic rural connectivity above all else?
(Edited by Arkadev Ghoshal)
