KHAMMAM: For the tribals in Bhadrachalam, the establishment of a full-fledged museum to elevate their culture and tradition would be a dream come true. The existing tribal museum is confined to the four walls of a room at the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) office. The tribals have been urging the government to set up a larger museum next to the Ramalayam temple since 2000, so that more tourists could learn about their culture.
Their pleas, however, have not been addressed by the government yet. Tribal associations allege that politicians raise the matter only during the elections and conveniently neglect their issues afterwards. Speaking to Express, tribal association leader Madavi Nehru said, “The government has no sincerity when it comes to our development. We have been requesting for a tribal museum for a long time now.”
The then project officer of ITDA-Bhadrachalam B Ashok had taken the initiative to set up a tribal museum at Yetapaka (now in Andhra Pradesh). It was later shifted to the ITDA premises in Bhadrachalam, when Natarajan Gulzar was the project officer. Later, when Devarajan Divya took charge as the project officer, proposals were sent for the establishments of a full-fledged tribal museum near Ramalayam at an estimated cost of `2 crore. The proposal, however, was rejected by the government.