Andhra Pradesh State – Parvathipuram Manyam District : When the rain falls over the lush hills of Alluvada, a small tribal village in Komarada mandal, it brings more fear than joy. For the villagers here, rain means one thing — isolation. The winding track that connects their homes to the main Ravada–Ramabhadrapuram R&B road turns into a series of muddy pits, cutting them off from the outside world.
There is no proper BT road — only a narrow, broken path that vanishes under rainwater. For the rest of the district, a road is just a basic amenity. But for the people of Alluvada, it is the difference between life and death.
When Hope Is Carried on a Stretcher
Last month, when Lakshmi, a young tribal woman, went into labor at midnight, her family’s panic quickly turned to despair. With no ambulance able to reach their remote village, her relatives tied together bamboo poles and a bedsheet to make a doli (stretcher).
Under the dim light of torches, they walked nearly six kilometers through slush and stones, carrying her to the nearest motorable road. From there, she was rushed to the hospital — barely in time.
“It happens every year,” says Ramu, Lakshmi’s husband. “Whether it’s a delivery or a snakebite, we have to carry people on our shoulders. What else can we do?”
Promises Buried in the Mud
Villagers recall that before every election, leaders visit with folded hands and big assurances. The latest to make such a promise was MLA Toyaka Jagadeeswari, who, according to locals, vowed to build the long-pending road to Alluvada.
“She came before the elections, walked on this very path, and said she would fix it,” says TDP senior leader Tammayya, a local activist. “After winning, she never looked back. Our votes are remembered only during campaigns — our problems are forgotten soon after.”
A Road to Dignity
Alluvada and its neighboring hamlets — Ulipiri, Marrivalasa, and others — are home to around 600 tribal families who depend on forest produce and small-scale farming. Their children often drop out of school during monsoon months because buses and autos can’t reach the village.
Health workers too hesitate to visit regularly, and supply trucks avoid the route altogether. “We don’t ask for luxury,” says an elderly villager, Satyamma. “Just a proper road so that we can live with dignity.”
Waiting for the Wheels of Change
The road project remains a line item in dusty government files — proposed many times, sanctioned never. Officials cite budget constraints, forest clearances, and administrative delays. But for the people of Alluvada, every delay costs them time, opportunity, and sometimes, lives.
As the sun sets behind the green hills, a group of villagers gather near a broken culvert, watching a tractor struggle through the mud. “If only we had a road,” one of them murmurs.
It’s a simple dream — a road that connects them not just to the world, but to hope itself.
