Jeelugulova tribals rejoice on getting electricity for the first time in their hamlets

The Hindu

02-06-2025

The tribal people of Jeelugulova hamlet of the Cheemalapadu panchyat in the Anakapalli district were in a jubilant mood as they danced in gay abandon to the tunes of Dhimsa on Sunday (June 1, 2025) night. They had enough reason to cheer as their village got electricity for the first time.
The hilltop village, located atop Samalammakonda, has a population of 50 persons, belonging to the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) Kondh tribe. The villagers recall how they used to move with 'kagadalu' (traditional torches with wooden sticks lit at one end) to scare away wild animals apart from helping them in finding their way through the thickets. They used to mostly remain indoors after dark for fear of wild animals.
'There are eight families but electricity meters were installed in only six households, as two families had no Aadhaar card. Two poles were erected on the streets in our hamlet. We have been staying here for the past 16 years, before that our ancestors used to live here (Jajulabandha), some of them had died while others had migrated to other places in the Agency areas,' Korra Mahesh told The Hindu on Monday (June 2, 2025).
'Before coming here, we were living in Sadangi village of the G. Madugula mandal. We are very happy that electricity has finally arrived in our village. The line is being extended to Pasuvulabandha, another hamlet, towards the far end of the hill. The electricity department staff had a tough time in carrying the poles to the hilltop. Each pole had to be carried by six men, and we (tribal people) helped them in the task,' he recalls.
'The lack of a road to our village is a stumbling block in the development of our village. In the absence of drinking water taps, we have to fetch water from the 'voota' (spring), located about half-a-kilometre from our village,' he adds.
The villagers had staged protests at the Zilla Parishad in the Visakhapatnam city on several occasions in the past seeking provision of electricity and formation of a road to their hamlet. The news was prominently reported in The Hindu had also other English dailies, apart from Telugu newspapers. The District Collector of Anakapalli visited Jeelugulova village in 2022 and directed the officials concerned to provide basic amenities in the hamlet.
Narsipatnam RDO Ronanki Govinda Rao and other Divisional-level officials visited the village and subsequently the Aadhar and the ration cards were issued to the villagers. They were also promised power supply and drinking water facility. They were provided electricity facility under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) scheme.
Korra Balaraju of Jeelugulova, and CPI-M district secretariat member K. Govinda Rao thanked the AP EPDCL Engineering officials and the Anakapalli district Collector.