The lack of bridges and a proper road has cut off nearly 1,200 tribal people living in five tribal hamlets in Sirikonda mandal of Nizamabad district in Telangana, from accessing the main road and other parts of the district. The residents allege that their multiple demands and representations for two bridges and a service road have gone unheard and they’ve been neglected.
According to them, a bridge over the Mondivaagu stream has been been a long-standing demand, for over two decades, as it separates the five tribal hamlets–Sarpanch Thanda, Venuka Thanda, Gopya Thanda and Ganta Thanda, Bugga Thanda– from other villages in the mandal. After upgrading the Sarpanch Thanda and Gopya Thanda into Grama Panchayats, like what was done for 1,175 other tribal hamlets, the state government had sanctioned Rs 5.5 crore for constructing two bridges, one near Sarpanch Thanda, and another at Venuka Thanda along with a three-kilometre road in a move to provide infrastructure development.
However, according to the local residents, a contractor who took up the job in November 2019 and started initial work did not complete it. The work completely stopped in February 2020 citing the non-release of the allocated funds.
Without a road to connect the hamlets to the main road and thereby to the district headquarter Nizamabad and neighboring towns like Bhimgal and Kamareddy, residents are facing problems. And without a bridge, they find it even harder to travel out of the hamlets during the monsoon season, between the months of June and October.
Bhukya Peeri, a resident of Ganta Thanda, told TNM, "We are forced to stay back even if there is some urgent work as the stream floods and it becomes tough to go to the market and sell our vegetables. Moreover, because of the lack of a bridge, pregnant women who have to go to the hospitals are suffering as ambulances cannot come here nor can we ferry them in other vehicles."
We the Tribal people of Sarpanch Thanda, Sirikonda, Nizamabad dist, 3years ago govt sanctioned 5.5crs to build bridge on this gully, still work not started, We are facing this problem from many decades, In emergency cases we don't have any option to cross this gully.@CharanT16 pic.twitter.com/LmSTZEEDr1
— Vaasu Karthik (@VaasuKarthik) August 2, 2021
This is echoed by people living in the other hamlets. "Crossing the stream during monsoon is dangerous for children, older people and pregnant women,” said Lakshmi Meyavath from Venuka Thanda. “If they are not able to construct the big bridges as they planned, at least they should construct a smaller capacity bridge,” she added.
Sariya Nayak of Sarpanch Thanda said, "For a long time, leaders have asked us to vote for them, assuring us that they would complete the construction of these two bridges, and we have also voted for them. Officials should take this issue up as an urgent matter and see that bridges are constructed as early as possible."
Sariya further said, "We have taken the issue up with officials and the local MLA Bajireddy Govardhan. Officials said that they would complete the construction of bridges by June this year, but nothing has happened."
The Deputy Engineer of Roads and Buildings for the district Anjan Kumar said that there were coordination issues with the contractor who was in charge of the construction of the bridges and road. Speaking to TNM, Anjan Kumar said, "He claimed that there were some pending bills that were not settled and prolonged starting the work.”
He further alleged that after the contractor finally did start work, he claimed that he was not given the designs. “We had given him the designs and yet he did not start the work but has instead taken up other projects in other places,” said Anjan Kumar.
When asked why there is no progress in constructing the bridges and road even after the government had allocated the funds, Anjan Kumar said, “Even as we were initiating action against the contractor, the local MLA wrote to the government asking them to transfer the work to the Panchayat Raj department.”
“I have submitted the detailed project report, and designs to the higher authorities as the work is now getting transferred to the Panchayat Raj department,” he said, while expressing uncertainty over the project being completed.
TNM tried to contact the Nizamabad District Collector to know why there has been a long delay in the construction of the bridges and the road, but he was unavailable for comment.