Bureaucratic hurdles mar access to essential services, while recurrent floods threaten to wash away homes, leaving communities vulnerable.
A rich political history unfolds in the Scheduled Tribe (ST)-reserved Adilabad Lok Sabha constituency. The presence of independent candidates, the Communist Party, and many regional and national political parties shape that history.
Despite having a diverse political landscape, the people of the region continue to grapple with issues ranging from last-mile transportation for medical emergencies to the threat of animal attacks.
Critical infrastructure projects such as bridges, toilets, and roads remain incomplete, exacerbating the challenges.
Bureaucratic hurdles mar access to essential services such as ration cards, while recurrent floods threaten to wash away homes, leaving communities vulnerable and displaced.
On 23 April, the Hanuman Jayanthi celebrated with flags of the monkey god painted a poignant picture of the rugged kacha roads in the area.
The view also provided a glimpse into the lives of the people there, who harbour a deep-seated reluctance to articulate their aspirations for change. Many view newcomers with scepticism, perceiving them as merely transient officials.
Against this backdrop, a sense of resilience prevailed as communities adapted to their circumstances.
In the village of Gundi, nestled alongside the “Gundi Vagu” (rivulet) in Asifabad, local residents carried out their daily chores with quiet determination. From washing clothes to fetching water, they navigate the challenges of daily life.
At an auto-rickshaw stand, a curious man halted this correspondent, asking, “Who are you? I haven’t seen you around here before.” The response about an on-ground story was met with scepticism.
“Why should we bother voting?” asked the man, gesturing to the lack of development in the village. “No politician ever bothers to visit our struggling habitat villages, where basic facilities are scarce.”
In the village of Gundi, nestled alongside the ‘Gundi Vagu’ (Rivulet) in Asifabad, (Deepika Pasham/South First)
Seeking anonymity, a woman elucidated the situation to South First, pointing towards the unfinished pillars of the Gundi Vagu: “See it for yourself.”
She explained: “We lack proper roads for travel. How can an ambulance navigate these paths or an auto transport the sick to town?”
Despite her limited understanding of Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, the woman expressed frustration.
“I don’t even know what these elections are for. No one seems interested in improving our lives. Our daughters are married off early, and the education available only goes up to the seventh grade,” she said.
At one of the three Anganwadi centres situated beyond the Gundi Vagu, an Anganwadi teacher — on condition of anonymity — underscored the significance of education.
“While the Anganwadi centres are operational, they lack basic amenities such as toilets and consistent power supply,” she revealed.
“Initially, tents served as classrooms. But now, despite ongoing construction of rooms, the persistent issue is the lack of electricity. Although half of the bulbs have been installed, they remain disconnected,” she said.
Expressing concern about declining enrolment, she notes, “Currently, we have three pregnant women, four in the post-pregnancy stage, and 40 children aged one to six years. Despite our dedication, our monthly salary of ₹13,600 and ₹7,800 for helpers remain stagnant. A significant raise is warranted, especially for educators serving in remote areas like ours.”
Ade Sham Rao with group of villagers (Deepika Pasham/ South First)
Residents of the Ankushapur village were a week ago alerted by the forest district officer (FDO) that the cub of a tiger from the nearby forests was moving on the forest fringes.
Traffic on the Kaghaznagar-Kanargaon-Wankidi road — except for two-wheelers — was prohibited from 6 pm to 6 am on 16 and 17 April as a precautionary measure.
Ade Sham Rao, a farmer sitting on the orange stool, told South First: “We are habituated to the intrusion of animals. The tigers keep wandering around and have even attacked one of our villagers.”
However, he added: “We are in a dire situation where we cannot harm the animals though they kill us. We will be put behind bars if we protest or harm the animals.”
He continued: “Wild boars damage our crops and sometimes even make a mess in our houses. Which forest officer comes and addresses our problems?”
Elaborating on the problems on the ground, Rao said, “There are nearly 600 votes in the village. We take it as responsibility, but where are the new ration cards for us? I know it should come from the Central government. ”
He continued: “Since the Covid-19 pandemic started, we have been given only rice. Other things — like oil, flour, and soaps — are affordable in ration shops but unavailable. ‘Take the rice and go away,’ say the people in the ration shops. The prices of commodities in the general shops are not affordable.”
All three political parties have announced candidates belonging to the Adivasis communities, who form a major chunk of the population in Adilabad.
In 2019, BJP’s Soyam Bapu Rao — belonging to the Adivasi community — won the Lok Sabha elections from Adilabad by a margin of 58,000 votes.
In the Assembly elections, BJP won four out of the seven seats in the segment it contested, while BRS secured two and Congress one seat.
Congress announced former government teacher Atram Suguna — who has been fighting for the rights of Adivasis — as its Adilabad Lok Sabha candidate this time.
Meanwhile, BJP has given a ticket to former MP Godam Nagesh and BRS has fielded former MLA Atram Sakku.
Jodeghat village of Kerameri mandal are the most of Gond Tribals livings (Deepika Pasham/ South First)
In the Jodeghat village of the Kerameri mandal, most of the Gond tribals still live in huts.
They asked South First: “You must have wondered: How do we travel to a road for emergencies? This is our life. We are all fans of BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao because he built a museum for Komaram Bheem — a god for tribals.”
They added: “This time, it is tough to choose just one as all three candidates belong to the communities of Adilabad and have been fighting for us. Yet, nobody will come to see us after winning.”
They claimed: “After years of promises and floods washing away our houses, a few of us were sanctioned double-bedroom houses. Most of us live in huts made with sticks.”
In Adilabad city, K Arun — who studies in a private college in Hyderabad — said, “The youth have no opportunities in Adilabad. The remote areas of Adilabad suffer the most. There are no labour jobs. People there produce cotton and millets (bajra) over small areas during te appropriate season, and stay home the rest of the time.”
He added: “An individual has to undergo great difficulty to undertake higher studies in Hyderabad. We depend on the cities for everything.”
An auto-rickshaw driver named T Venkat said, “KCR and BRS are no more in power. The competition is between Congress and BJP.”
He added: “The sitting MP is from BJP, and we are still deciding because Congress has fielded Atram Suguna, who is known to fewer people.”
Meanwhile, residents of the Parandholi, Athapur, Mukadhamguda, and Bollapatar villages under the Asilabad Lok Sabha constituency have dual votes.
These villagers have been voting in both Maharashtra and Telangana because both states claim these four gram panchayats.
They are listed as coming under Kerameri mandal in the Kumurambheem Asifabad district in Telangana and Jivithi taluka of the Chandrapur district in Maharashtra.
When South First visited Bollapatar, women had gathered to buy earrings, anklets, and other ornaments as the campaign vehicle of BRS candidate Atram Sakku halted in the village.
Many showed their ink, proving they voted in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections — in Maharashtra.
P Shesha Bai explained, “I have lived in this village — since my marriage — for 30 years. The situation is the same for most of us.”
She elaborated: “Officers give us slips that say we are voters from two states, so we go and cast our vote. We went to vote in the Chandrapur Lok Sabha constituency last week.”
She also said: “However, only the old men get both states’ pensions. The Congress government’s guarantees [in Telangana] have not reached us. Everybody enters our village saying we enjoy the benefits of both states, but in reality, we get nothing. We still lack facilities.”
(Edited by Arkadev Ghoshal)
May 15, 2024
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