Till recently, the crimson glow of sunset over the hills would be followed quickly by inky blackness. For, light at night used to be something way beyond the ken of tribal people in the hamlets of Andhra Pradesh’s Rampachodavaram agency.
Last Independence Day, however, liberated them from the reign of darkness. Now the tribals of Gurtedu and around in East
Godavari district can live without the fear of snakes crawling about, or switch the fan on if it gets stuffy. And watch TV too.
A trip through the hills on the way to Gurthedu sees the four-wheel drive groaning up the steep gradients even as barefooted tribal women walk effortlessly up the narrow road skirted by lush green forest, carrying provisions from the weekly shandy in the plains. The setting seems unchanged,
except that when they get home around nightfall there is no more coaxing of kerosene lamps. A mere flick of a switch and light floods the room.
But light did not come so easily to the tribal folk — getting the power lines to their hamlets was a story of much struggle. They came forward on their own to help the power utility staff erect poles and pull cables over them to their habitations. They trekked long distances, poles on shoulders.
What kept them going was the prospect of light filling their homes and lives. Transporting the poles was simply beyond the power utility staff since the connecting roads — if they can be called that — are barely motorable.
Recalls Kadabala Bobbili Reddy of Buradavalasa village: “About 25 tribal folk, myself included, carried electrical poles to Buradavalasa village of Y Ramavaram mandal on a hill for a distance of two kilometres from Patikonda. We carried 42 poles on our shoulders. Though it was hard, we just did it anyway.”
Now he is keen on participating in any collective undertaking that will make their lives more comfortable. “We have power supply. We are planning to pool in to buy a television set,” he says.
Chimess in Konda Suvarna Kumar of the same hamlet: “After a hard day of podu cultivation, we now can afford the luxury of light at home.” And the people of Kinkinarai, 20 km from Gurthedu, are planning to pool in for a television set and video player.
Trinadh and his wife, Sukri, who migrated from Orissa several decades ago, are looking forward to watching films. However, their fear is that in the name of power cuts, utility officials might resort to load shedding. “It is during the daytime that we can do without power since no one is home anyway. So we request the officials to supply uninterrupted power at night,” he says.
Another tribal, Vema Somireddy of Karnikota village of Gurtedu mandal, says she was one among the 50 from the village who carried 71 poles on their shoulders for a distance of five kilometres. “The going was tough and slow but we ignored the pain.”
It was well worth it for Kondla Suramma in a nearby habitation. It is in her 17th year that she has finally been able to see a glowing incandescent bulb in her house.
It was in December of 2008 that the Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited took up electrification of 203 interior tribal habitations in the agency region in East Godavari district under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameena
Vidyudeekarana Yojana scheme at a cost of Rs 14.8 crore. Says the EPDCL chairman and managing director N Gulzar: “We have completed the electrification of 107 villages and work is in progress in another 30 tribal habitations. We are going into the interior villages of the Y Ramavaram and Maredumilli mandals.”
pvkrao@expressbuzz.com