TUMAKURU: As the Andhra Pradesh government has shut its borders, Pavagada, which lies on the border in Karnataka, has virtually become an island. This tiny village is surrounded on almost all sides by Andhra Pradesh. Pavagada, that was part of the erstwhile Mysuru kingdom, was made part of Karnataka during the unification despite Telugu speaking people forming a majority of the population. People from Karnataka have to go through Madakashira, which is part of Andhra Pradesh, in order to get to Pavagada. Though it has been geographically connected to Chitradurga by a thin path, Pavagada falls under the Tumakuru district administration with 33 gram panchayats.
“Now, it has become a separate state. We are not connected to Tumakuru,” said former councilor Vasanth. People travelling to Pavagada are badly affected on account of Ugadi. Thousands of motorists from Tumakuru who were travelling to Pavagada, were stopped at the Amadalagondi check-post near Madakashira. “After an hour of convincing the Andhra Pradesh police personnel that were from Karnataka and that were not going to AP did he allow us to pass,” said Mangalavada Zilla Panchayat member H V Venkatesh who was stopped as well. Local journalist Harogere Shankara said that the thorny bushes were spread across optional roads to stop Karnataka’s people from entering Andhra Pradesh.
A woman from Bengaluru, who hailed from YN Hosakote in Pavagada taluk, was reportedly sent back despite pleading that she won’t stop in Andhra Pradesh’s territory. When asked about the taluk being disconnected due to the lockdown the deputy commissioner Dr K Rakesh Kumar clarified that he was aware of the situation. “Yes, I know. There are some routes to Pavagada that we are working on,” he said.