VELLORE/TIRUCHY: The night of March 25, 2026, was a nightmare all too familiar for the around 47 Irular and Narikuravar families living along the foothills of Sorakkalpettai, under the Vandranthangal panchayat in Vellore’s Katpadi.
Around 11.30 pm, a herd of five to six elephants emerged from the forest area of Jawadhu Hills and wandered into their settlement, sending residents scrambling out of their huts.
“We heard loud trumpeting and ran out into the open. It is not safe to stay inside during such incidents,” said Nithya Bhaskar, a resident. “Tonight too the elephants might come. We can never sleep fully in peace,” Nithya added.
For these families, who live predominantly in makeshift huts, such encounters are frequent. The absence of an electricity connection and other basic amenities such as water and toilet facilities worsens their situation. Even as election campaigning gathers momentum across the plains, tribal hamlets like Sorakkalpettai remain largely untouched.
Some residents take up their issues in a spirited manner during elections, in the hope of grabbing the attention of political parties, often in vain. For instance, at Top Sengattupatti in the Pachamalai Hills spread over Tiruchy and Salem districts, members of the Malayali tribal community attempted to stage a protest last month, demanding that politicians should stop visiting their settlements only during poll seasons.
Around 30,000 people are spread out across 76 villages on the Pachaimalai Hills. Residents said they have been plagued by a lack of basic amenities for several years, but no proper action has been taken. As per the latest policy note of the Adi Dravidar and tribal welfare department, the state has 38 recognised tribal communities with a total population of around 8.5 lakh, accounting for 1.17% of TN’s population. The acute issues faced by the tribal community of the state remain out of focus for those in power despite two Assembly seats — Yercad (Salem) and Senthamangalam (Namakkal) — being reserved for tribal candidates.
The tribals said improvements in infrastructure in recent years have not translated into better access for them. Mobile connectivity remains limited or entirely absent in several areas. Public transport remains infrequent, forcing many to continue long daily commutes on foot. “I walk over 3 km every day to reach Mettukulam and catch a bus to school,” said Kalpana G, a Class 11 student from Sorakkalpettai.
Gopi, a government school teacher in Peenjamandai, contended that nearly 40% of students drop out before completing school. “When families migrate for work, children go with them,” he said, referring to the underutilised residential schools maintained by the Adi Dravidar welfare department.
Most hamlets have schools only up to Class 8, leading to many students discontinuing their studies after that. Shortage of teachers exacerbates this situation.
This apart, the lack of new employment opportunities along with the decline of traditional livelihood options has negatively impacted numerous tribal communities. The Kalvarayan Hills, with 15 village panchayats, located along the borders of Salem and Kallakurichi districts, featured heavily in the news last year for the hooch tragedy that unfolded in 2024, killing nearly 70 people, even though the culprits were eventually found to be non-locals.
The tribals living in the Kalvarayan Hills brewed arrack traditionally, but lack of employment (or outlawing of arrack) led many to brew illicit liquor using raw materials sold by vendors from the plains. Strict police action has led to a near total eradication of illegal hooch in the region. “Jobs in agroproduct manufacturing industries or cottage industries will change their lives drastically,” said a 63-year-old retired government school headmaster from the hills.
R Amudha, a healthcare worker from the Kalvarayan Hills, told TNIE that last-mile connectivity for tribal women has improved due to the efforts of ASHA workers posted in the hills, but their workload is too much. People of the Vannadu panchayat in Pachamalai Hills said they have been asking for a Primary Health Centre (PHC) for several decades, but officials have denied it citing population limits.
“We don’t even have a functioning Health and Wellness Centre. For a snakebite, we have to rush to Sengattupatti and sometimes even Thuraiyur, which will take about 45 minutes to an hour. If a PHC is set up here, it will help everyone from those bitten by snakes to pregnant women,” said S Alagumuthu of Manalodai village.
A tribal woman from the Kozhikamuthi settlement located deep inside the Ulanthy forest range in Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) near Pollachi, said, “The social welfare department has sanctioned Rs 4.90 lakh for constructing a house.
Since Kozhikamuthi is located 8 km from Topslip, the contractor has to spend more money for travel. Due to the distance and skyrocketing construction material prices, our houses have been left incomplete.”
(With inputs from Krithika Srinivasan @ Villupuram & S Senthilkumar @ Coimbatore)