VISAKHAPATNAM: Ananthagiri Mandal Development Parishad Officer (MPDO) Kumar was carried in a doli after he fell sick during his visit to Karri Guda, a remote hilltop village in Gumma Panchayat of Alluri Sitarama Raju District on Thursday.
Following the death of a 70-year-old woman and the hospitalisation of a 48-year-old man at King George Hospital (KGH) in Visakhapatnam, the District Collector had instructed the MPDO and the Mandal Revenue Officer (MRO) to visit Karri Guda.
The officials, accompanied by medical staff, trekked eight kilometres to reach the village and held a health camp to assess whether there was any fever or diarrhoea outbreak among the residents.
Karri Guda, like many tribal hamlets in the district, suffers from a lack of basic infrastructure, including road connectivity.
Kumar, who led the visit, had to face the challenges villagers endure daily. While trekking down the hill, he experienced a sudden drop in blood pressure.
With no road access to arrange for immediate transportation, the villagers carried him on a doli (makeshift stretcher) for several kilometres to Gumma village.
The irony of the situation underscores the hardships faced by tribals. While a road for the village was sanctioned and approved by the Forest Department, construction is yet to begin as approvals from the Collector’s Office remain pending.
K Govind Rao, Andhra Pradesh Tribal Association Fifth Schedule Sadhana Committee president, elaborated on what had happened and said, “We hope the sanctioned road is constructed soon, and the work begins without further delay.”
Govind further mentioned, “Forest officials received the proceedings copy from the collector’s office on Friday and announced that road construction would begin on Sunday.”