Chitrakonda—Where Tribals Fetch Subsidized Rice On Horses

Malkangiri: No one knows when the socio-economic scenario in the cut-off area of Chitrakonda Block in Malkangiri district will change and the people of this area will join the mainstream of the society.

To find the answer to these questions, we had recently gone to Ralegada and Panasput panchayats and to our utter surprise found that about 10,000 tribals of 52 villages of these two panchayats use horses to bring the subsidized rice from the nearest PDS (Public Distribution System) outlet which is about 20-30 km from their village.

“We have to use horses for transportation as there is no all-weather road in our panchayat. Besides, there is no road from Ralegada to the nearest PDS centre which is about 20-30 km away. The only way to reach the centre is by crossing the hills through dense forest. Since it is not possible to carry the PDS rice on the shoulder to our village, we use horses as the only medium of transportation. The government has not done any developmental work in our village,” rued a villager of Ralegada.

Another tribal of Panasput panchayat said though the villagers use horses to carry the PDS items, it is not possible for them to return to their village on the same day.

“It takes about 8-10 hours for us to reach the PDS centre. We start from the village and reach the centre in the afternoon. Since it is not possible to cross the hills and move through the forest in the night, we wait at the centre till the next morning to start the journey to our village,” he added.

Asked about the steps so far the district administration has taken for the tribals, Ramakrushna Gond, Project Administrator (PA), Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Malkangiri, said the problems of the tribals will be solved very soon after construction of Gurupriya bridge is completed.

“The district administration is well aware of the plight of the tribals of the Chitrakonda block. However, their problems will be over in a couple of months after the construction of a bridge on Gurupriya river is completed. After the bridge is opened, construction of road in the remote areas of Chitrakonda block will be taken up on a war-footing which will immensely benefit the tribals,” he added.