Road built in Anakapalle district, demand for bus service now intensifies

Visakhapatnam: Welcoming the completion of a 13-kilometer paved road connecting Chinna Pasili to T. Arjapuram BN Road, tribal communities in seven villages of Ravikamatham Mandal in Anakapalle district have demanded a bus service along the road.

After years of protests by the Girijana Sangham, the road has finally been built. Villagers in Pata Kotnabeli said the road has made commuting easier for motorists, but the lack of reliable road transport and communication facilities has caused daily hardships for others.

One villager asked, “When will the bus service resume?” Villagers say the lack of bus service forces them to plan their entire day for medical treatment in Visakhapatnam. Students and others have to spend a lot of money to travel to their destinations in private auto-rickshaws.

Villagers are demanding a bus route from Visakhapatnam to Pata Kotnabeli via Chinna Pasili for the convenience of students and commuters to Vizag. They also face difficulties due to lack of mobile connectivity. This prevents them from getting ration rice, prevents families with children from using Anganwadi applications, and hinders the proper implementation of energy-related welfare schemes.

To demonstrate their demand for bus service and a mobile tower in the area, tribal people held a protest rally on the newly constructed road. Tribal leaders Padi Bennayya, Padi Gowri, and CPM leader K. Govinda Rao led the protest.