TIRUPATTUR: Tribals carried a dead body in a doli and trekked seven kilometres up the hill through the rough terrains of Nekkanamalai in Tirupattur on Monday.
The body of 37-year-old G Saravanan, who died in Bengaluru due to health issues, was brought in an ambulance on Monday to Nekkanamalai, which is located on the top of a hill. But it had to stop at the foothills as there are no roads to the hill.
“The body was carried by the tribals in a doli from there. Four people carried the doli at a time and others, who accompanied in the arduous journey, took turns," Nekkanamalai ward councilor M Raghu told TNIE.
It took them two and a half hours to reach the top of the hill, after which, his relatives performed the last rites.
Temporary road laid by tribals
“A few years ago, we turned the rough terrain into a motorable one using sand and stones. We raised the fund from temple money of ₹3 lakh and collected the rest from the families there," the ward councilor said. “Recently, the unseasonal rainfall that lashed parts of Tirupathur damaged the temporary road. Now, the terrain became unmotorable and it is even riskier to ride two-wheelers up the hill,” he added.
About 250 families reside in Nekkanamalai and more than 150 families have moved out of this place in search of livelihood. The tribals lack basic facilities, including drinking water supply, electricity, health centres, and education, as there is no road.
Years of demand for road not met
“Our only demand, which has been put forth many times before the district administration and elected representatives, is to construct a proper road, so that it can provide proper access to the place,” he said.
Collector Amar Kushwaha called the incident unfortunate and told TNIE, "A proposal for laying a road was submitted last month and it is under scrutiny, waiting for approval from the forest department. We are expecting that the work will start from June and it will be carried out under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).”
The district administration is taking every step to get this done so that the people of Nekkanamalai will get a road before the onset of the next monsoon, he added.